The Second Star To The Right
by ColorsFallLikeSnow
Summary: A twelve-year-old orphan is captured and taken to NeverLand. Rated for strong language, angst and some bloodshed here and there.
1. Quick Author Note

**Just an informative author note. :S**

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Alright so, this is the revised version of The Second Star to the Right (TSSTTR for short) Some things before the story actually starts. There will be more chapters, seeing as I rushed through this story much too fast. So, just in case you alerted the story and saw chapter 10 was really just chapter 2, I apologize for the confusion.

Anyway, here's a list of all the characters. Why? Because… :)

Characters;

Peter Pan

Hook

Tinkerbell

Tiger Lily

Tootles

Nibs

Slightly

Curly/Cubby

The Twins

Nicole

Sonya

Aero

Charles

That's basically everyone… I just put it because it seemed like such a short note and it made me embarrassed. This didn't help much. :x

Still sucks ass. :U

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**Enjoy the story, Ja ne! **


	2. Prologue: Sharp Ice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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"Hurry Nicole, hurry!"

The sound of bombs filled the air, sirens flailing as smoke filled a small home. A woman, probably in her mid-twenties, was currently helping her six-year-old child fill up a duffle with necessities. The mother's skin was white, but it was tainted by the black residue the smoke left. Her brown hair made it past her shoulders, resting right under it. Both of them were currently wearing pajamas; it was only two in the morning.

Her brow furrowed in concern as her daughter let out a cough; she knew they had to leave quickly. Tying her hair into a bun, the mother scooped up the duffle in one hand, grabbed her daughter in the other and made a break for the door. Before they could make it, however, the ceiling began to cave in. One of the wooden boards fell and would've landed on Nicole, but the mother intervened and took the blow herself.

"Mummy!" She screamed, tears falling from her eyes. Her mother coughed, in pain, though she didn't let it show on her face. She grabbed the duffle and handed it to her sobbing daughter. "Go, you must leave." She said quickly, watching her daughter slowly grab it. "But," she began, controlling her sobbing, "what about you, mum?" She whined. The mother was silent for a moment before she spoke. "I'll be okay."

Nicole's eyes stung from the salty liquid she held inside. She wanted to stay strong for her mom, she did. It was just so much harder then she thought. Her mother reached out and touched her cheek soothingly. "Leave, now. Don't let life slip through your fingers, please. Change can be good, but it can also be bad. It's up to you to know which is which. You're my smart daughter; I know you'll know." With her last bit of effort, she leaned up and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

Nicole looked away when her mother lowered herself to the floor; she wouldn't watch. She didn't want to see her mother's face as she died. She'd never be able to handle it. With that in mind, she grabbed the duffle and ran out the house, just barely dodging debris and wooden boards. Once she was outside she could certainly breathe easier, but not by much. The streets were still crowded as people screamed and ran, trying to get away from the deadly bombs.

Taking one last look at her home, she took in a shaky breath and ran for cover. She was shoved and she shoved back, trying to find an empty space. She wasn't sure how long she ran, but she knew she could stop once she found an alley. It was dark and smelled disgusting, but she didn't have much of a choice. She huddled underneath a dumpster for safety and she let herself cry. She cried hard and loud, no one could hear it of course, and it felt a little better to let it out. She wasn't sure when, but she fell asleep under that dumpster, the sounds of war lulling her to sleep.

When she woke up, she was surprised to see a hand extended towards her. Cautiously she took it, and whoever it was on the other side pulled her out. A woman stood in front of her, eyes calculating. Nicole paid no mind, however, as she was busy looking at all the damage that had been caused. Buildings were only half now, streets were ruined; what really caught her attention, though, was the fog. She knew it was bomb smoke, she could taste it, but it was just so thick and grey that it looked like fog.

With a sigh escaping the woman's lips, she walked off, gesturing Nicole to follow. She could hear her mom's words echoing in her mind, telling her to make the right choice. How was she supposed to know what the right choice was? She was only a child, a very sad, lonely child. The girl grinded her teeth as she thought of what to do, but stopped when she felt a small tug in her heart. It told her to follow, and who was she to say no? Arms lifeless and dangling at her side in defeat, she followed the woman warily. The only thing that kept her feet moving was the almost annoying tugging in her heart. Sigh.

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**A/N: There, see? Back-story. :) Thanks for reading, 1****st**** chapter will be up shortly. Ja ne!**


	3. Time to Go

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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_Everything can change. Not all change is for the better, though. My mum told me so and I'll never forget._

"Nicole!"

She heard it the first time, the second and sadly the third. The annoying raspy voice that continued to strike her nerves with repeated blows. She wouldn't answer, she wouldn't so much as breathe; maybe then it would go away. "Nicole!" It was at it again, and getting louder. Talk about not taking a hint. She could hear the footsteps getting closer and closer to the door, but she kept her eyes shut tight even as it swung open and slammed into the wall behind it.

"Ni-cole!" It growled, separating her name into two distinct syllables. With a groan, the girl finally decided to give up and opened her eyes. The aquamarine orbs darted tiredly around the room, searching for the person the noise had come from. Her eyes rested on the plump, short woman in front of her. Her hair was short, curly and red as the devil himself. It was fashioned in some sort of bun, though it just looked like a train wreck.

Her skin was an off-white color, almost dirty. Perhaps it was all the make-up that this woman had piled on her face. Red lipstick, black mascara, fake eyelashes, navy blue eye shadow; the works. It would be mean to say that it looked permanent but…it looked permanent. To top it all off she wore a spring green frilly dress with crème ruffles here and there. Her name was Ms. Filch and she ran the orphanage that Nicole lived in. Six years of living in this hell-hole and she still couldn't call it home.

Still, she decided to not anger Ms. Filch any more than necessary and stood up. As the woman kept silent, Nicole's head slowly started shifting to the right in a tilting position. Why the hell did this woman wake her up if she wasn't going to say anything? She vaguely wondered if it was too late to go back to sleep. "Don't cock your head, girl! For god's sake, you look like a damn dog!" She snapped. Nicole grimaced slightly and fixed her head. "Thanks." Sarcasm was her best form of defense, and she would use it until the day she died.

Ms. Filch caught the sarcasm, however, and growled somewhat. Nicole felt like she had been hit by a bus; was that her _breath?_ The _one_ person who has hygienic materials in this place and she doesn't even _use_ them; charming. And she wonders why she's still a Ms. Ha. "Honestly Nicole, brush up on your manners." _Brush your teeth, _Nicolemused, though she said nothing. "You're becoming very poor in grace. Not like you ever had any to begin with, but you're in my orphanage. I will not have my reputation ruined because of some riffraff who can't keep her mouth shut, got it?" Nicole gave a hard nod of understanding.

Straightening her posture, a breathy 'good' escaped her lips. "Well then, hurry up and get everyone ready." She said, turning to leave. "Ready for what?" The girl questioned, earning a snort in response. "Breakfast, of course; what are you stupid? Don't answer that strikingly obvious question. Now hurry up and get everyone ready; you're giving me a rash. And change your clothes, you look homeless." With that, she slammed the door closed, leaving Nicole to stare down at her clothing. She was in her pajamas, if they could be called that.

They were old and dirty and hardly gave her any warmth, but they covered her up; that was all she needed. "I don't look homeless." With a sigh, she turned her head to look at the other 20 or so children sleeping on the wooden floor around her. Deciding to let them sleep in a little later, she carefully walked over the kids, trying not to step on them. She tripped over her feet when she made it to the bathroom, but no one seemed to hear the crash, so she was safe.

Closing the door behind her with her foot, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin, which was usually creamy white, looked almost badge with the filth that covered it. Her brown-ish black hair stuck to her face for whatever reason, and she knew she would have to take a shower and wash her hair. Her hair, at the moment, was a big ball of knots and it looked short; it made her grimace. She decided to take a shower now before anyone woke up, that way she could spend as much time as she needed.

In the end, she only had to spend an hour under the water, but it felt so good to not hear the annoying whining of the smaller children banging on the door. Her hair now fell to the middle of her back, knot-less, shiny and soaked. Wrapped securely in a towel, she wandered outside the bathroom and into the main room, hopping over the kids once again. She made it over to the drawer with little damage and slipped into a pair of loose fitting pants and a shirt three sizes too big. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the children and screamed out a 'Wake up!', startling everyone. It amused her, to say the least.

Nicole spent no more than five minutes in the room before she felt a migraine forming. They were screaming and fighting, running and skipping all around. Being in an orphanage was bad enough, but being in an orphanage filled with other _girls_ was ten times worst. She stayed in a corner with her hands over her ears, watching the children leave for breakfast. She waited a few minutes after the girls left before she attempted it; the traffic on the stairs would be hell. With a groan, she left the room fast as lightening, but slammed into something and fell back. "Ow." She whined, rubbing the back of her head in a mixture of pain and annoyance. "Hey, watch it!" Oh god, that voice.

Sitting the floor across from her was a pretty blonde child. She was the same age as Nicole, it seemed. Her blue eyes narrowed in annoyance as she stood up and pointed down at Nicole with her finger. "Quit acting like your deaf, Nicotine." She growled, effectively snapping Nicole out of her silence. She wasn't sure how the nickname started, but it pissed her right off. "Lucy, isn't it too early to be a frigid fuck?" She asked sweetly, earning another growl from Lucy. She opened her mouth to say something insulting before a strict 'ahem' made them shush up.

They turned to face the elderly nun with a ruler in her hand and a small pudgy child standing next to her. The nun, Marie, nodded towards the child. "Thank you for alarming me of the situation. You two, hurry and get downstairs before your food gets cold." She said, turning and walking away. As soon as she was out of sight, both girls' focused on the small child who ratted them out. It took a while, but Nicole remembered her as Estelle. She was Filch's daughter, but she was very sweet and tolerable; everything she did, she did with good intentions.

Lucy, however, didn't care. "Thanks a lot donut. You got us in trouble; keep your nose out of other people's business, got it fatty?" She snarled, flinching when Nicole punched her shoulder. "Be nice." She hissed at the blonde, but she would hear none of it and stormed off with a flip of her hair. Nicole rolled her eyes in disgust and glanced over at the saddened seven year old. With a sigh, she walked over and draped an arm around her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't listen to Lucy; she's a whore." She stated, earning a giggle from Estelle. "C'mon, let's eat."

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**A/N:: Chapter One done. :) Thanks for reading! Ja ne!**


	4. Silk of Voyage

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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_I sometimes wonder why life insists on being so mysterious. Maybe it's a guy…_

"Um…what IS this, exactly?" Nicole stared at the white mush on her plate in a mix of awe and disgust. She vaguely wondered if it would come alive and eat her; she immediately regretted the idea. She stared up at the cook as she stood in line and tried not to hurl. A grunt of disapproval left the manly woman's lips. "Food. Now move along, you're holding up the line." She snapped, placing the same goop on the next girls' plate. Gulping, she gripped her tray and walked off, looking for a place to sit. Lucy fell in step next to her and stared at her goop. "Disgusting, isn't it?" She said and Nicole nodded. "Completely." She agreed.

Nicole sat down in an empty seat and picked up her spoon, poking the food cautiously. The smell alone made her want to gag and she couldn't even imagine the taste. However, as she watched everyone else force it down, she figured she could be a big girl and eat it too. Ugh, big girl. She hated it when people called her that; it only made her feel even more like a child. She wondered why everyone was eating it, but all thoughts were solved when she saw Filch roaming the cafeteria. And so, swallowing her pride, she scooped some of the white goop up and ate, trying not to throw it all up in the process. _Kill me now._ She mused.

As the kids ate their "breakfast" in silence, Filch cleared her throat and leaned forward across the table, hands folded. Automatically, the girls' eyes flicked over to the woman and stopped their eating. A thick, smug air hovered around her and Nicole felt like throwing up then and there. "I trust you all have learned something." She began, catching everyone off-guard, thus earning no reply. "I said, I trust you all have learned something." She repeated, voice darkening. Small murmurs of agreement fluttered through the room; that seemed to be enough for her to continue. "Excellent, because you're all leaving."

Shocked expressions printed themselves on the girls' faces. Nicole swallowed slightly and muttered a shy 'Away?', feeling breathless. Filch heard and nodded once, then turned to face everyone else. "Yes, away. The government came today and said they will pay your toll for the train." She said; she was met with dropped jaws. "Th…The train? Like…THE train?" Nicole squeaked, earning a snotty snort. She didn't even need to look to know who it was; frankly, that girl could go jump off a cliff. "Obviously, dork." Nicole bit her tongue to keep from saying anything; this was a joyous occasion and bitchy Lucy wasn't going to ruin it.

The train had been passing them by for years, claiming that they never had enough space. She was starting to give up hope, really she was, but now with this news, she couldn't help but smile. Filch glanced over at her and grumbled something, but didn't say much of anything. She looked back at everyone else. "Anyway, yes. The train. So hurry up and finish your breakfast; you'll be spending the whole day cleaning and getting ready. You little brats get out of my orphanage at 3 in the morning, sharp. Dismissed…er, well, good day." Filch said, standing up and leaving the room.

Stunned silence filled the room…

Like it was choreographed, the children jumped up and out of their seats, screaming silly little things that made no sense. It didn't matter, though, if it made sense; they were going on the damn train! Everything else could be shot to hell for all they cared, they've suffered enough. The entire day they spent washing the orphanage from head to toe; it was a pretty big orphanage. There were three floors with about ten bedrooms on each and two bathrooms on each. There were three huge windows on the right side and the floors were old and splintering, so it made it difficult to mop. However, with 150 girls in the whole building, it shouldn't be _too_ difficult.

Even as they scrubbed and rubbed, disinfected and dusted, they smiled. They smiled because, no matter what they went through today, it would be over tomorrow. It would finally be over tomorrow, and they just didn't give a damn anymore. By the time they had finished it was around ten at night and they were all dirty and sticky. One by one, two by two for the smaller children, they took showers and put on the best clothing that they could find so that they could start packing. By the time they finished bathroom duty it was one in the morning.

With the girls awake and refreshed, they began to pack their things quickly. A couple of shirts here, some underwear there, stale bread used as a toy. As Nicole packed, she felt an elbow nudge her lightly on her ribcage. She glanced over at the small child beside her. She felt so old compared to everyone else; which is bad considering she's only twelve. Still, early mid-life crisis aside, she offered her a warm smile. "Yea?" The girl smiled back. "What do you think the train'll be like?" She asked, eyes widening and filling with wonder. Nicole was thoughtful for a moment before she spoke. "Well, I think it'll be wonderful. The ride will be smooth and the seats will be fluffed. There'll be a red carpet on the floor, so shoes would be optional. But most important, it'll take us out of London. That's all I want."

Liddy, the little girl's name, paused placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully before she smiled joyously. "Me too me too!" She exclaimed, packing her clothes more vigorously. Nicole fought the smile on her lips, she had smiled too much today, and continued her packing. She finished around 1:45, which was much later compared to the other children, but she didn't mind. She wanted to make sure that she had everything she needed for a safe travel. Glancing around, she noticed that all the beds were taken, much to her dismay. Fluffing her small backpack of belongings, she rested her head on it as she used it as a pillow and fell into a deep sleep.

_She was in a forest. Her breath was ragged as she pushed her feet to keep going, to not give out under her. Tears blinded her vision, not that she could see much in the dark, but it was the thought that mattered. She could hear the footsteps, getting closer and closer. They surrounded her, three on each side of her. A sharp pain hit her leg and then the same on her arm. Blood spilling from the wounds she fell to her knees, leaving herself vulnerable to her pursuers. A fist-full of her hair was grabbed and yanked back, exposing her neck. It wasn't exposed for long, however, when a shiny sword was placed on it. She let out a blood-curdling, horror movie type scream and everything faded to black…_

Nicole awoke with a gasp as she abruptly sat up in a sitting position. Her breath pushed out painfully from her chest, skipping uncomfortably as it made it to her throat and out her lips. Her body was covered in a thin sheet of sweat, barely visible but still there. She placed her palm on her burning forehead in confusion as she thought about the nightmare she had. Who was she running from, and why? "Are you okay, Nicole?" The sound of another person's voice startled her and her eyes snapped over to the source in fear. However, the feeling went away as she stared at the innocent face of the small child from earlier.

When she didn't get a reply, Liddy's brow furrowed in concern. "Nicole? It's 2:30, are you sure you're alright." She questioned again. Feeling more grateful now than ever, she felt a smile imprint itself on her face as she nodded once. "Yes, yes of course. Just a weird dream. Get some sleep Liddy; we have a big day in, well...half an hour." She said, earning a smile and a nod of agreement. "Okay Nicky. Night." She said, laying down and falling asleep it seemed. Nicole was silent as she looked around the room filled with sleeping girls and sighed. Thirty minutes; _no use in going back to sleep_, she mused as a yawn slipped past her lips. She stared up at the ceiling intently for a moment or two before she stood up and began getting ready.

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**A/N:: Chapter 2! :D *hive fives self* Thanks for reading, Ja ne! …**

**I don't even know why I say 'Ja ne' I'm not Asian, I'm Hispanic. I should be saying something like 'Adios' or 'Hasta luego' :x**

**Oh well. Ja ne!**


	5. Storm of Destruction

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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_Um…kill me now? Please?_

"Get up, get up Nicole!" A voice shouted, shaking her. Nicole's eyes snapped open in shock as she stared up at Liddy. She sat up, placed a hand on her forehead and blinked. " Oh, I must've fallen asleep." She muttered, standing up. She glanced around the empty room in confusion. "Where is everyone?" Liddy shrugged. "They went to the train." Nicole grimaced. "And no one woke me. Fabulous. Thank you Liddy." She said as she grabbed her bag, turning to leave but catching sight of the snow falling outside. She looked over at the child with a smile. "It's snowing?" Liddy nodded and offered her own smile. Nicole practically skipped over to the coat rack and began to put on a good coat.

Good meaning it still had all the buttons and no tears. Almost as a reflex she checked Liddy's coat and found herself frowning. Her coat was one of the worst she'd seen; No buttons, there were some holes and it was very thin. It wouldn't serve her much purpose, she knew. Suddenly, there was this odd little pull, to give the girl the coat. She was taken off guard by the feeling; she hadn't felt that tug in such a long time. Not since she first came to the orphanage. Shaking off the nostalgia, Nicole took off the coat and handed it to the little girl. "Here, it's much warmer than yours." She said. Liddy beamed and they traded coats. "Let's go."

In a matter of minutes they made it to the train station. It was so dark and cold, but once they stepped on the train it was like all her worries disappeared. She said goodbye to Liddy, who had to go to a cart up front, and took a window seat. Well, it wasn't how she imagined it, but it was better than nothing. Nicole looked out the window, feeling the train start to move. She smiled and rested her head on the window. 'Things are finally changing...' She thought as she imagined the sun coming up. She couldn't see it because of all the clouds, but she knew it would. It was still early. She wasn't sure when, but she drifted off with a smile on her face.

_She was in a meadow, surrounded by daisies. On her knees in a white dress, she picked the flowers as a steady breeze played with her hair. The white petals began to leak red and her eyes filled with wonder. Wonder soon turned to fear as she felt the ground shaking beneath her. Leaves swirled around, as if trying to protect her but it could do nothing to stop the force. It knocked her on her back savagely and she wanted to cry. She felt her eyelids become increasingly heavy as the shaking intensified and everything faded to black…_

Nicole's eyes snapped open to feel the train shaking. She bolted upright and slammed her face on the window obscenely, trying to look out. Everyone seemed to be as anxious as she was, but the train was still moving. Right when they were about to cross the bridge, a siren shot through the air just like a knife cuts through soft butter. Shortly after words, there was a loud and thunderous 'boom!' and then nothing but black smoke. A screeching sound soon followed. All of the kids pressed their faces harder on the glass and let out a unanimous scream.

The bridge had been hit by a bomb, and now it was sliding off the edge. They started to scream and run around in circles. Nicole was frozen for a moment or so before she stood up. She tried to tell them what to do, but they were so loud that no one could hear her. Her mind wandered over to Liddy and felt a deep pain. She was two carts ahead, already gone. She stared at the chaos and a deep growl filled her chest. Like hell she was going to die here. She wrapped her fist in a scarf and smashed the window two or three times before the glass shattered.

She squeezed through right before her cart slid over the edge, landing roughly in the soft snow. She watched as the train went over the edge, the feeling of nausea overpowering all other senses. She listened to the screams and the explosion, smelling the smoke and feeling the heat from the fire. Tears fell from her eyes but she managed to push herself to her feet and started walking.

The air was cold, but then again that's what's expected in the middle of a blizzard. The wind whipped around the young girl, the snow biting her face with icy cold kisses. Her aquamarine eyes scanned the area, pushing her feet through the snow. She was wearing a blue jacket, a little too thin for such a day, and her bloody green scarf was on the edge of being torn off her face. She didn't have any gloves, and her teeth were chattering lightly.

Nicole looked around, she was in the middle of nowhere. She turned her head slightly, stared at the broken bridge a few feet behind her and sighed, turned her head back around and continued to walk. Today had begun just like any other day...well no. Not really. She was on the god damned train! They were on the verge of leaving this forsaken place. But no, of course not. Figures right when she got close to something it was taken away. Grimace.

After another five minutes of treading through snow, shivering and taking little back roads, she stopped. Her head tilted and she looked at the little town in front of her. It was small and quaint, like nothing she had ever seen before. Granted, the only thing she really remembered was the orphanage, but still. "A town in the middle of nowhere, huh?" She muttered, eyes sparkling in renewed curiosity. Maybe she would get adopted. She didn't look her best at the moment, but she could get pretty, if that's what they wanted. It looked deserted, but she guessed it was only because it was six in the morning and no one really came out this early.

She bit the inside of her cheek when a couple came walking down the stone sidewalk and wanted to throttle life. Why was it so happy proving her wrong? Bitch. The man was carrying an umbrella, shielding his wife from the snow in a sweet gesture of chivalry. They turned to look over at Nicole, who was still in the forest part of the town, and the wife whispered something in his ear. Quickly, Nicole jumped behind a bush. Oh god, she hoped they didn't spot her. When there was no sound, she felt better. It didn't last. "You there." The voice was scary close.

Oh crap…

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**A/N: Chapter Three! Nice, hm? :O No? Well FINE. Thanks for reading! Ja ne!**


	6. Silver Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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_Yay..?_

Nicole stared at the man towering over her with a scared expression. He offered her a warm smile to ease her worries; it worked to some extent. "Hello." He greeted and Nicole gave a small smile. "Greetings." She said, biting the inside of her cheek nervously. "Come." He said, turning and walking back towards his wife. Nicole numbly saw this as her chance to run, but there was an odd tug in her heart. She knew that she shouldn't be trusting the insufferable sensation by now, but it was too strong. It had a will of its own and she was just going along for the ride. That in mind, she sighed and stood up, walking over to the couple.

She stared at the woman next to him for a moment or two before she curtsied. "Hello." She said. The woman seemed to be amused by the girl's actions and smiled. "Greetings, child." She said, her voice soft and elegant in the best way. The husband stared at his wife, then at Nicole and smiled. He liked the way they interacted, it was nice. "Child," he started, making Nicole stand at attention, "yes sir?" She asked and they smiled yet again. She had a feeling they were trying not to laugh, it nearly made her grimace. "Well, it's awfully cold today, and I'd hate to see a young lady such as yourself wander around alone." He stated, making Nicole feel uneasy. The wife must've noticed because she elbowed her husband lightly and smiled once more."What my husband means is that it's cold, come to our home so you can warm up." She said. Somehow that didn't make her feel any better, but she understood.

"Well…alright." She relented. The couple smiled. "Come." They said in unison and then started walking away. Nicole hesitated. She knew that they weren't just being nice. They wanted something in return. She thought for a brief second and then walked with them, it felt like something was pulling her, telling her to go. But then again, something 'pulled' her to go on the damn train that exploded. Something 'pulled' her to give the only warm coat to a little girl that is dead. She had been 'pulled' in so many retarded directions that she just wanted to throttle life. Still, it couldn't be too bad what they were asking. If it was then she would jump out the window, plain and simple. With a groan, she continued walking.

They walked for a short while, each house bigger and grander then the last, until they stopped in front of a mansion. She believed it was a mansion, anyway; it was enormous. It was tall and wide, the outside a grayish-whitish color. It seemed to be made of stones, but she couldn't be too sure. The man opened the door easily, quickly, and then he and the wife wandered inside. Nicole walked in after them, looking around their huge house. The floors were of marble and the stairs of cherry wood. There was a golden chandelier hanging right above her head and it was beautiful. Still, beautiful or not she side-stepped out of its path; like hell she would get killed via chandelier. She heard the door close and she snapped out of her thoughts, turning to face them. "There. Much better, right?" The man asked and she nodded, watching the wife come out of the kitchen with mugs. When did she even go in there?

Regardless, she was handed a mug of hot chocolate and she wasn't going to pass it up. She felt the scorching liquid burn her throat as she gulped it down, but she didn't care. She was so thirsty and so cold. Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill as she consumed the entire thing in less than a minute. When she finished, she stared at the two shocked adults and smiled apologetically. "I…haven't had anything to drink in a long time." She said, watching their eyes fill with sadness before it disappeared. They must've thought she didn't need a pity look; they were right, of course.

With a sigh, the man placed his mug down and looked at the girl. "What is your name, dear?" He questioned, striking the interest of the wife. She looked over at the child as well, eyes interested. "Nicole." She answered. They seemed to be waiting so she added quietly, "just Nicole." The couple glanced at each other in silence for a while. "Will you excuse us?" The wife asked, Nicole nodded and then the couple left. Nicole shuffled her feet nervously, looking around the living room area idly. She wasn't sure how long they were gone, but it seemed like ages until they popped back into the room. The wife looked at the husband nervously, making Nicole feel nervous. Still, the woman turned back to face the child and gave a warm smile."Would you like to stay here?" The wife asked, her voice kind and gentle. Nicole's eyes widened. "Like…like adopt me?" She asked and they smiled, the wife having tears in her eyes. "Yes." She breathed. Nicole was silent, feeling the tug in her heart, telling her to stay. She bit her cheek and nodded. "O-Okay." She stuttered. "Good...but on one condition." 'Here we go...' She thought, but nodded.

"You can stay...but you must work as our maid." They said and Nicole looked at them for a brief second. "Maid huh?" She asked and they shrugged. "Sort of. More like chores, to teach you discipline, you see? Never liked maids…" The now-mother said and Nicole blinked. "I see. Well…okay." She said. They smirked. "Alright, it's settled then. You can start tomorrow." The man said. The woman added "Have a look around, see if you like it. We're going to bed. Your bed is in the attic." She said and, in an act of shyness, hugged Nicole very lightly. Nicole blinked and slowly hugged her back. Suddenly, they were both wrapped in the husband's bear hug and Nicole let out a small laugh. They let go and then they disappeared upstairs.

Nicole turned towards the house and sighed. It was so big… She sat down on the floor Indian style, annoyed. She mumbled things under her breath so low that nothing could be understood. But, she was actually cussing herself out for having listened and agreed to stay here. She didn't know these people and they sure as hell didn't know her. How she was even supposed to fit in with these people was beyond her. Not only with her new parents but with the neighbors as well. They must've been rich their whole lives… She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard faint footsteps and lifted her head to stare at the pocket-sized calico kitten in front of her. The kitten's eyes were a pretty misty green color instead of the usual brown and it almost made her laugh. An unusual cat for an unusual girl. Funny life, funny.,

The kitten meowed and then walked over to Nicole, purring. Nicole smiled and pet it gently, making it purr louder. She picked it up gently, and it fit in the palm of her hand. "You're small, aren't you?" She asked and the cat meowed and rubbed up against her face. Nicole giggled lightly. "I hope you won't wind up like Clifford and grow bigger then this mansion." She said, eyeing the cat playfully. The cat's eyes sparkled lightly, like it was laughing with it's eyes. Now even the cat was laughing at her. Granted, it was a joke, but still. She smiled. "You can sleep with me tonight, if you want kitty." She offered and the cat nodded it's little head. Nicole smiled and then they went to sleep, in the attic. It was actually a very nice, furnished attic. It looked like a bedroom. A smile adorned her features as she fell asleep that night, maybe things would get better after all.

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**A/N: Done. .o. I know what you're thinking 'Ohmaigod where's Peter?' Impatient, impatient. Well, I'd be impatient too so, a little treat. Next chapter will be centered all on Peter and the Lost Boys. How's that? **

**Thanks for reading, Ja ne!**


	7. Playtime

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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Sunlight poured into the tree house, bringing light into the once dark place. A small, blonde fairy let out a silent yawn, stretching as she left her "room". Her name was Tinkerbell, though most settled on calling her Tink, and she was what one would call the "adult" of the house. She glanced at the sleeping boys in envy; she could never sleep in like they did. She wandered into Peter's room, the self-proclaimed king of Never Land, watching the 13-year-old sleep. She inched closer before a wicked smile played on her lips; how fun would it be to play a prank on the unsuspecting boy? After all, he always seems to get a kick out of doing it to others. Why, just last week he dumped a bucket of freezing water on Nibs while he ate breakfast.

Motivated, Tink floated over to Peter. Rather than waking him, she shook his shadow awake. Frazzled, the shadow stared at Tink with narrowed eyes. Not many knew the shadow had eyes, or any type of feature for that matter, but he did. They were just well-hidden. Tink leaned in close to the shadow, whispering something in its ear while the shadow nodded vigorously, seeming thrilled. Tink clapped her hands together once in enthusiasm before she disappeared from the room. She returned minutes later with a stick and for a good five minutes she and the shadow worked together to pry himself off of the sleeping boy.

With much dedication and patience, though it was in short supply from Tinkerbell, the shadow was finally free. He bounded across the room in one step and began to rhythmically bounce off the walls. Items clattered onto the wooden floors, causing quite a racket. Tinkerbell shot across the room, holding the shadow firm, or his thumb, both holding their breath, watching the boy. However, being the hard sleeper he is, Peter only flipped over with a snort, remaining asleep. Sniggering, Tinkerbell instructed the shadow to leave with a few tiny, yet graceful, wave of her hands. The shadow gave a mock salute and disappeared. Tink wiped a thin bead of sweat off her head in relief and went into the kitchen, smiling as she waited.

It was around noon when everyone began to get up. Nibs awoke first, followed by Tootles shortly after. After them came Cubby, than the twins. Peter woke up soon after, rubbing his sleepy eyes with one fist and wandered into the kitchen to eat. Slightly was the last to wake, but he was certainly the most annoying. "I'm up, you can all smile now." The statement earned a few snickers and a lot of eye-rolling. Peter stared up from his breakfast (he never actually knew what the hell he was eating, but it didn't matter) to stare at his crew. He cleared his throat, causing everyone to stop and turn to him. The feeling of power that filled his chest was magnificent, and he was hardly able to keep from smiling.

"So. What should we do today?" He asked. It wouldn't really matter what they said, he would still picked something that he wanted to do, but he still liked hearing other's suggestions. It only made it _that_ much more amusing when none of them were picked. "We should go treasure hunting." Nibs said, earning a huff from Slightly. "We have no treasure, stupid." At the statement, Peter's eyebrows furrowed. No one had seen or heard from Captain Hook since Jane left a good 15 years ago. Not to say that he was worried, because he could care less, but it was definitely intriguing. He forced himself to listen when the irritating whines of the Twins filled his ears. "No, let's play daredevil!" They cried out in unison, making Cubby groan. "Last time we play that, I got a cut." He grumbled. "Let's play hide and seek!" He said, ecstatic.

Slightly smirked. "Not many places you can hide; seeking would be too easy." He sneered, making Cubby growl. "Always something about my weight. I should hit you." "Go ahead." The cocky, lazy smirk that painted itself on Slightly's face was too much for the bear and he launched himself at him, both rolling around on the floor. Peter rolled his eyes before he looked over at Tootles. "What do you want to play?" He asked the small child sitting next to him. Tootles rarely said much, but that didn't mean others didn't want to hear him. The skunk shrugged his shoulders. "Anything." He said passively. Tootles was no fun, Peter decided and turned his attention back on the two wrestling kids.

He stood up and stared before he cleared his throat. "Attention!" He huffed, all boys immediately falling into place in front of Peter, giving a salute. Peter held his hands behind his back and eyed the boys for a moment or two before a smile carved on his face. "We're playing Mud Fight," the instantaneous groans only made him smile brighter, "so hurry up so we can get started." He watched the boys disperse sluggishly and sniggered. He sat down at the table once more and glanced over at Tink, who was snickering. "You're so mean." She said and he smiled. "Nah. I'm just incredible." He said, making the fairy roll her eyes. He laughed.

He glanced over at Lost Boys when they finally decided to come back. "Taking your sweet time, huh?" He grumbled low under his breath before he stood up. Just as he was about to lead the boys out, Cubby spoke. "Something's different." Peter stopped and turned to look at Cubby, as did everyone else. "Different?" He questioned, making Cubby nod. "Now that you mention it," Nibs intervened, "something _is_ off about you this morning." The others seemed to nod slowly in agreement. Peter remained puzzled. Tinkerbell, however, was trying to keep in her laughs. She was still sitting on top of the table, hand pressed over her mouth as she stared in amusement.

The Lost Boys walked up to their leader curiously. Cubby stared at Peter for a while, spinning him around slowly. "You look different, I know you do." He said in annoyance, trying desperately to find out what the hell was happening. Tinkerbell was still rattling, pointing in every direction before her finger rested on the wall. Nibs took notice and pointed towards the wall behind Peter as well. "He's missing his shadow!" In unison, the boys turned their heads towards the blank wall. Peter placed a hand under his chin. "My shadow huh? We gotta find it!" He said, waving the Lost Boys over as he leapt out the tree. The others followed diligently.

They searched in many places, all coming up empty handed. In one instance, Peter became annoyed with the constant jabber of the boys. He turned his head sharply towards them and placed a finger over his lips. Silenced, he continued his seemingly fruitless quest to find his shadow. "How did it even come off?" The twins whined, dragging their feet behind the rest of the pack. Slightly sneered, a smirk painted on his face. "_I_ would've never lost my shadow." He pointed out, making Peter snort. "_You_ can't lose it because you're a coward and super-glued it on." The others laughed and sneered, effectively ending Slightly's cocky-ness; for now.

They must've searched an entire day with no luck whatsoever. It was dark now, hardly able to see much of anything. Tinkerbell was still keeping in her laughs. Peter scratched the top of his head in thought, currently standing on a rock in the middle of Mermaid lagoon. "Huh, where would a shadow go?" He pondered. Mermaids were playing idly with his legs, running their delicate fingers across the tights in adoration as they quietly squealed 'Peter!' over and over. He would've blushed if he weren't so used to this by now. "Have you girls seen my shadow?" He asked with a smile that melted hearts. The girls swooned, but shook their heads. "Nope." He huffed.

When they returned home, Peter was more than annoyed. He left the boys to do whatever they wanted and he disappeared into his room with a barely audible 'night' He fell on his bed, exhausted, before he grumbled, "I'll find the damn thing." , and fell asleep. When all were asleep, Tink finally let out her barely contained laughs and fell into a peaceful sleep. It was always downright thrilling when a prank on Peter Pan was successful. Still, she had to wonder where the shadow had disappeared to. Ah well, none of her concern now.

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**A/N: There, chapter featuring yours truly. Random? Now, yes. Later, no. :) Thanks for reading! Ja ne!**


	8. Rose in the Flame

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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_Eh..? Life, you're an ass. Just saying._

"Nicole! Nicole wake up!"

Mrs. Burd called from downstairs. Nicole yawned and then woke up quickly, leaning down and grabbing her kitten. Her parents had seen the cat and she asked if she could keep it, they said yes. Spice, the cat, perched herself on Nicole's shoulder like a bird as she ran down the stairs. Her mom hugged her and kissed Spice before she spoke. "Okay, so hurry and start cooking, Daddy's boss is coming over. I'll clean." She said and the two broke formation as they darted into their appropriate spaces. It had been three months since she first came here, and she finally had her own last name. She didn't have one for so long, her name was just…Nicole. Now, being properly adopted, her last name was Burd. Nicole Burd. It was spelled oddly, but it was pronounced 'bird', so she found her name at least little cool, if nothing else. Regardless, being here had enriched her of something she had been deprived of for so long; love. Because of it, she learned how things were done more quickly and, generally, with a smile.

She and her mother split the responsibility around the house and, she had to admit, it wasn't like being a maid at all. It was like being a kid who had responsibility, which was great. Whenever she worked she wore a pale golden color maid uniform, not because she was forced to but because she wanted to, and her parents didn't seem to mind. Nicole quickly slipped into her uniform and started cooking, Spice sitting on the counter next to the stove, licking her lips. Nicole let out a small giggle at her kitten's actions, but continued cooking.

It was around 5 in the afternoon when there was a knock on the door. Feeling mighty pretty in her dress that her mom had given her, she quickly opened the door and smiled. "Hello Mr. Johnson." She greeted and the tall man smiled. She knew Mr. Johnson quite well, since her father brought her to work with him a few times. He had said that he liked her personality and she destined to do something great. Since then she had considered him a friend. "Hello Nicky." He said, ruffling her hair as her walked inside. Her laughed inwardly at Nicole's cute growl. "Ah, Oliver." He said when Mr. Burd came down the stairs. Nicole zoned out shortly after that and moved into the dining area, where they would be eating soon.

She took note of how delicious the food in the kitchen smelled and how neatly the plates were arranged in the dining area. The silver plates stood out proudly against the dark cherry wood surface of the table. It gave off a light hint of lemon (perhaps mother had been using Pledge) but it was completely overwhelmed by the smell of food and thus, no one would care. Her gaze shifted over to the on-coming people and she decided now was a good a time as any to serve. Her father came in shortly after to help her and in a matter of minutes everyone was seated had their food. She and Mr. Johnson were on one side, her mother and father on the other, and Spice on the floor next to Nicole, with her very own plate of food. It was a cozy scene.

Nicole extended her arm to take a roll of bread when, "Time for prayers!," her mom said. Her hand retracted to grasp onto the firm and calloused hand of Mr. Johnson. Emily looked over at Nicole and gestured to her with her chin. "How about you say them tonight, dear?" Watching her deer-in-headlights expression, Emily gave her daughter a warm smile. Nicole took a deep breath and decided to speak, however low her voice was. "Um…thank you, Lord…for the food and stuff. We highly appreciate it. Even though, you know…I cooked it and stuff you…you made it…I guess." She paused, biting her cheek as she decided what else to say.

"Uh, I wanna also thank you for our home and, um, our clothes and such. Well everyone's clothing. Appreciate it. No one wants to see people walking around naked. I guess. You should've made flying pigs, though. You know how cool that would've been? Flying pigs? It would've made 'em harder to catch, of course, but once you did when you ate them you could've kept the wings. You failed. Big time." At the clearing of throats and the slight chuckle from Johnson, she got back on topic quickly. "Anyway, thanks for the food and all other good things. Amen." A chorus of 'Amen' followed, along with an agreeing 'Meow' from Spice and they finally ate.

Night came quickly; it's amazing how fast time flies when you're stuffing your face. Oliver was currently laughing at Nicole, _still _teasing her about what happened at supper when Mr. Johnson walked over. "May I speak with you, Oliver?" The two men walked away, leaving Nicole and her mother to speculate. "What do you think is gonna happen?" One whispered. "Maybe he's receiving a promotion." Another whispered. "Or being fired." At the comment, both females froze at the very idea. How dreadful _that_ would be. The men must've been speaking for nearly an hour before Mr. Burd stepped back in the house and let out a sigh.

The girls, who were holding their breath in anticipation, felt anxious. Sighing couldn't be a good sign, right? An uneasy silence fell on the family for a moment before Oliver gave a very relaxed, happy smile. "I've been promoted to head of the company." The statement shocked both girls into a frozen state for some time. An-ear piercing scream from Emily seemed to snap Nicole out of her state, watching her parents rejoice. She looked down at Spice with a happy smile. "You hear that, Spice?" Her cat meowed in response, rubbing her head against her leg. She had to wonder if she understood or if she just wanted to be fed.

She was caught off-guard when her father scooped her up in his arms in joy. The family spun in a circle for some time, and as the colors blended into one odd hue, Nicole bit her cheek. She was happy, beyond happy actually, but she felt like…there was something missing. Granted, she hadn't been this happy since her real mother was still alive and well, but she just couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that filled her. Perhaps it was normal, or maybe she was just a selfish child, but whatever the reason, she didn't like it.

She was placed on her feet a few moments later and listened to her parents gush about how everything was perfect now and such. "Oh, it'll be fabulous," her mother was saying, fanning herself with her hand, "we'll have much more money to do things. Why, we can even move to the new house across town!" Nicole arched an eyebrow at the news. "New home?" She asked, blinking once. Her parents looked over at her with a proud smile. "Oh yes, it's a nice, cozier home than ours. That way, we won't get lost on our way to the front door." This earned her some chuckles from her husband and child.

Nicole stared at them for a while, thinking about the possibility of a new home. "When are we gonna see it?" She asked curiously. "Tomorrow, so get to bed." Her father said, smiling. With that, they each gave her a kiss on the cheek and wandered upstairs to their bedrooms. Nicole, glancing down at the cat currently molesting her leg, picked Spice up and pet her head gently.

_New...home…_

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**A/N: Aaaaaand, scene. I thought it was good, how about you? c:**

**I hope you enjoyed it, I certainly enjoyed writing it. Especially the prayer part. If I would ever do that, I'm sure my gramma would throw a bible at my head. "The power of Christ compels you biaatch!" Except she'd be nice…because my gramma is nice. ^-^**

**Thanks for reading. Ja ne!**


	9. Whispers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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_What are you planning, life?_

The Burd family strolled down the pleasant stone sidewalk, looking spiffy in their fancy dresses and tuxes. Nicole had learned rather quickly that they liked to present themselves in such a way that it seemed like they had it all, even if they didn't. She found it refreshing, regardless. Leading the way was a professional-looking man, their real estate agent. He would push his glasses up every few minutes and would walk quickly; needless to say, he wasn't what Nicole was used to. Meanwhile, Oliver twirled his cane like it was a toy, earning a few stares from people in their automobiles. In a matter of minutes they stopped in front of a big, though not as big as theirs, home. It certainly had a cozier feel to it, just like Oliver had stated yesterday.

Nicole tapped the agent's back (seeing as that was all she could reach) earning a startled response from the tall and lanky man. "Yes?" He croaked. Nicole blinked, staring at the home for a moment before she looked back at the man. "Do you know who used to live here?" She asked as they entered the beyond comfy air that filled the home. The man shrugged, staring at his clipboard intently. "The Darling family, apparently. Lived here for a good two generations. They up and left here a good five years ago. Own the house down the street now." He said, seeming annoyed that she had even asked. Nicole tried to look, but she was hurried inside by the adults. He began leading them through the house, talking as they went. "Three bedrooms, one of which used to be a nursery, two bath. It doesn't have a dining area, but If you knock down this wall, it could be possible." He explained, pointing to the wall.

Nicole sighed, bored with the whole experience and decided to look around the house herself. She came across a big, spacious room and figured it was the master bedroom. It was certainly nice to look at; light tan wood floor, golden walls and a crystal chandelier that hung in the middle of the room. Satisfied, she closed the door and went down the hall into the next room. This one was a bit smaller, the walls were white and there was a light switch, but no bulbs. It was nice, it felt like a guest room. She closed the door and continued to wander, taking her time going through the home before she stopped at a room at the end of the hall; the third bedroom.

Extending her hand, she opened the room and blinked. It had a beautiful window, so big she dared say she could see the sunset perfectly clearly. The windowsill was huge; if she placed a blanket there, she could sleep there and it wouldn't be problematic. The walls were a light baby-blue hue and it was certainly bigger than the guest bedroom. She flipped the light switch, but sighed when nothing happened; no bulbs. Stepping further into the somewhat-dark room, she continued to look around. This one would certainly be hers and she was just making sure there were no roaches. _Nope,_ she mused, _only a creaky floor._ She opened the closet door, checking inside rather thoroughly before she closed it and went for the room door.

Just as she was about to close it, she froze; the closet door was opened. Nicole's eyebrow's furrowed in confusion. "Didn't…didn't I close it?" She could've sworn she had, and yet it was open. She decided she must've imagined it and walked back over, gripping the door knob to close the closet door once again. She froze, frightened, when she heard the floorboards only a foot or so behind her creak. _Creak, creak, creak._ Very slowly, deliberately; like it was teasing her. It stopped a few inches or so behind her before one final 'creak' closed the distance. Steady, calm, ice cold breath hit her neck again and again, making her little hairs stand on end.

Her hand (that was still gripping the door knob, by the way) shook in fright. Using all the courage she could scrape off the sides of her cowardly bowl, she whipped her body around in a flash to face whatever it was. Aqua eyes pale amber and whatever strength she had was gone as fast as it had came. She let out a blood-curdling scream, startling the…whatever it was, watching it scramble as quick as it could out the window and fly away. At that second, the grown-ups ran into the room, worried. "What's the matter?" Nicole was left silent, knowing damn well she couldn't say what she saw. "I…I saw a spider."

Relief seemed to wash over their faces and Emily held her daughter tightly. "It's alright Nicole." Her father soothed while her mother planted kisses on her head. The agent walked in soon after, house papers in hand. "So, do you want it?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. Her parents looked down at Nicole, wondering what she thought. Nicole wanted to scream and kick, saying 'No! It's haunted!' but seeing the want in their eyes, she didn't. With an inward sigh, she nodded. "Okay." She said. The Burds looked over at the agent, 2 out of 3 minds made up. The agent nodded and, all too dramatically, signed his name. "Sold!" _Great,_ Nicole thought.

Nicole watched the movers carry out boxes and boxes of their things with a bored expression. A month had gone by before they could finally move into the home, and these were the last of their things. She was currently on the steps that led upstairs, chin rested in her upright hand, her eyes the only thing moving. Spice was curled up in a ball next to her left foot, seeming relaxed and oblivious to the whole situation. Nicole wished she could be so relaxed, but the image of the shadow she saw outside the nursery window still crept along the edges of her thoughts. She had been assured, countless times by both her parents and the real estate agent that the home was not haunted nor had there been any deaths. Still, just because it wasn't on record didn't mean there weren't any deaths, right?

She was rudely, and I do mean rudely, snapped out of her thoughts when a pair of movers shoved her aside, bed in hands. "Move, child." They snapped and she moved closer to the edge railing. She immediately felt like she was in the orphanage again. Such a horrible, annoying place that was. Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of the incident that happened little over four months ago and grimaced, holding them in. This was no time to be thinking of the past, only time to prepare for the future. Though, being a female, she doubted her life would be all that exciting when she reached womanhood. Marry a stiff with loads of cash, cook, clean and wash for him, have his children, mother those children, and if she's still young enough, go through it all again. She highly doubted she would step out of her home for anything more than food shopping or accompanying her husband to some _dreadful_ office party. "Wee." Nicole mumbled, voice coated in sarcasm.

Her head snapped up when she saw her parents looming in the doorway, smiles on their faces as they shrugged into their coats. Nicole wished she could feel that happy. Her mother looked over at her with an assuring smile. "Come, darling. To our new home." She said, like she was proposing a toast at a wedding or something. Slowly, cautiously, Nicole walked down the stairs as she put on her coat. She picked up her cat and gave the best smile she could.

"To our new home."

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**A/N: Chapter completed! *cool action movie voice***

**Haha, thanks for reading! If I could hug all my readers, I would. Ja ne! :)**


	10. Of Mirrors and Shadows

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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_You're starting to piss me off, life. Really._

It had been two weeks since they moved into their new house and, in all honesty, Nicole wanted to run the fuck out. 85% of the time in the home was alright, but the other 15% was infested with that damn ghost…thing. It wouldn't have been so bad, except it always came at night, staring into her room from her window and, sometimes, when she opened it, the thing would sneak in and just continue to stare at her. It was beyond creepy, but whenever she was near her parents it never came. Whenever her parents would come it would disappear, period. It was beyond annoying and terrifying. Honestly, why would it have to disappear unless it was evil?

"Nicole, are you okay?" Her mother's voice broke her out of her daze. They were currently emptying the last remaining box filled with their things. Nicole nodded vigorously. "Yea, yup. Never been better." Lie. Emily took it, though, and nodded as they continued. It was sunset now, they had spent the entire day painitng the guest room and fixing her bedroom. It was a lot of work, but she had to admit the house looked nicer now. Her walls were painted a pretty pastel purple and she had her own mini chandelier, so now she had a light. The guest room was painted a less boring color; yellow. It wasn't much better, but it was definitely a step up from white. Even the master room had gotten a new chandelier and they had replaced the toilets.

Within the next hour they had eaten (Nicole making an embarrassing prayer at dinner, as always) showered and were getting ready for bed. Nicole and Spice walked into their new bedroom, her parents following close behind. "Now don't worry," her mother started after she saw her daughter's fearful expression, "you'll be fine. There is nothing to be afraid of." Nicole gave a small nod, even though she didn't agree. Two kisses were placed on her cheeks from her parents and she watched her father whisper to her mother "Come, let's go break in the new bed." Nicole's face scrunched up into one of disgust. She didn't have to be a woman to know what that meant; and watching her mother practically skip after him only made it all the more disturbing.

With an annoyed sigh, she closed the door and made her way to the bed. Setting the small kitten on her pillow, Nicole quickly began to dig for her pajamas (which were _real_ this time) while Spice stared out the window. Her ear twitched when she heard a noise and slowly walked over. She used her tiny claws to pull herself up on the windowsill, tilting her head as she listened. Abruptly, a shadowed figure popped up, causing the cat to screech and hiss, nearly falling off said sill. Nicole hardly looked up from what she was doing; she knew who it was already. "Hush Spice. It's not like you haven't seen it before." She grumbled. Walking over to said window, she opened it and went back to getting her pajamas.

Abruptly, the ghost popped into the house, carelessly floating above Spice, just out of her reach. How did it know? Spice was currently trying to claw his eyes out but couldn't reach. Nicole shuddered; it wasn't like the ghost didn't scare her, it did to no end, but she just wasn't going to scream anymore. That caused attention, and she didn't want attention. She glanced over at the spirit and cleared her throat. "Ehm, do you mind?" She held up her pajamas and, understanding, the figure turned away, as to not look. Nicole made sure he wasn't looking (he had tricked her a few days ago and looked) before she very quickly put on her clothing and slipped under the covers.

"Alright, it's done." At the sound of her voice, the figure turned it's gaze back on her. Nicole grumbled. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." She glanced over at her kitten, who was still trying to attack, and sniggered. "Goodnight Spice." The cat meowed lowly in response. Before she even knew it, Nicole was fast asleep.

_She was in her childhood home. She was sitting at the table, watching her mother make pancakes. Her mouth watered. All she wanted to do was eat them. Her mother handed them to her, caking them in extra syrup before handing her the fork. Giddy, little Nicole took the fork and dug in. She chewed the piece slowly and carefully before she spit it out. It tasted horrible. She stared down at the "syrup", it was blood. Her heart raced when she saw her mother on the floor with a dagger in her heart and a leaf on her stomach. Blood was everywhere, even on the ceiling. Everything faded to black…_

"Aah!" Nicole gasped, quickly lifting herself up from the bed, her breathing uneven, covered in a thin sheet of sweat. Her eyes met the figure and nearly screamed but covered her mouth to mask it. She growled. "What the…you're STILL here?" She huffed in annoyance. She glanced over at the clock; 2 a.m. Brilliant. A light meow caught her attention as her kitten was trying to comfort her by rubbing her head against her arm. The figure was silent before it decided to stick it's hand out. Nicole watched in a mix of curiosity, fear, and amazement. Suddenly, Spice pounced, startling the figure. In an act of defense, the figure grabbed the cat and jumped out the window.

Nicole was left, dazed for a moment before she sprung into action. She put on a long, white sleeved shirt, jean skirt, white stockings and boots with sky blue laces. She darted out the front door, grateful her parents were such hard sleepers and started running after the figure. It was hard to see, what with the night sky and the fog of her own breath, but she saw him, slithering across buildings. Kind of like a shadow. Erasing that from her mind when Spice gave a small 'meow' she picked up the pace. "No! Stop!" She called, making the figure stop abruptly. Seeing this as her chance, she ran over and snatched the whimpering cat away from it.

"What the _hell_? What you'd do that for?" She huffed. "Uoy truh ot gniog saw ehs thguoht i." Nicole stared at him with a beyond confused look. "What?" A look of annoyance crossed his features. "Don't get snippy." Nicole hissed. With a roll of his eyes, he started again. "Uoy truh ot gniog saw ehs thguoht i, DIAS I." Nicole stared for a very long time before she huffed. "I don't know what you're saying, I don't speak French." She grumbled. Annoyed, the figure stalked off (or rather slithered) and came back with a paper and some pen. He wrote down what he said, and she huffed. "I don't—Wait." She stared at the poorly written words and blinked. "The words…they're backwards." She easily deciphered them; 'I thought she was going to hurt you.'

Nicole stared at the figure for a while before she blinked. "What ARE you?" She thought he was a ghost, but apparently not. The figure pointed over to the well-hidden but not entirely gone shadow. Her shadow. She was silent for yet another moment before it all clicked in her head. "You're a shadow?" She asked and he nodded. "Sey." The girl was silent. "I see. That's…odd. Don't uh…shouldn't you have a person?" She asked; this conversation was SO weird. "Sey." He pointed towards the star in the sky. There were many, but she noticed he was pointing at the second star to the right. Huh. She stared down at him. "Your person is a star?" She asked and it seemed to annoy him. He started speaking his gibberish but Nicole paid no mind. "What's your name?" She asked, catching the shadow off-guard. "Retep." Eh? Nicole blinked and handed him the pad. "Write it?" She asked and he did as he was told, however sloppily. What? Shadows aren't supposed to be able to hold things. Be grateful.

She stared at the letters and glanced over. "Peter? Your name is Peter?" She asked and he shook his head firmly. "Retep." He repeated. She was fell silent. "Oh. Is that your human's name?" Retep smiled and nodded. Mm. She had never heard of people losing shadows… Still, she decided she would help Retep in whatever way she could. "Well, alright. Let's go home." With that, she held on tightly to her kitten and the three began their walk home silent, and somewhat unsure and scary, walk home.

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**A/N: End. :) You know what was funny about this chapter? I based it off of a dream I had (Yes, I dreamt of Peter Pan's shadow :p) and I think it turned out pretty great. C:**

**Thanks for reading everyone! Ja ne!**


	11. Unwilling

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)**

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_Oh dear god no. No no no no no no no..._

Half an hour. Half a bloody hour they spent walking back home. They didn't know the way, so they would get lost very often. When they finally made it home, it took all of her willpower NOT to slam the door in triumph for fear of waking her parents. She tip-toed upstairs, Spice still in her arms as she walked into her room and closed the door. She turned to be face-to-face with Retep and nearly screamed. She grumbled and only took off her boots and climbed into bed. "Go to sleep, both of you." She huffed, closing her eyes, listening to Spice growl and hiss and Retep, well…do nothing. _This is so weird,_ she thought.

Just as she was about to slip into unconsciousness, a loud, frightened scream pierced through the once-silent air. She shot up and ran to her window, peering outside, Retep by her side. She saw it now; a grown man was pulling a young girl out of her house while the girl had tears streaking down her face. Why wasn't anyone helping her? Didn't they care? Acting on impulse, despite Retep telling her not to in his weird backwords language, Nicole was suddenly in a burst of action. She slipped back into her white boots with sky blue laces and then bounded out the front door, Spice meowing the whole time.

"Hey!" She called to the mysterious man in the red coat. He turned around, looking at her with curious eyes. "And you are?" He asked, un-amused and uninterested. She blinked. Did he have a hook for a hand? She glanced at the girl that was being kidnapped and blinked. "Margaret…" Nicole narrowed her eyes. She knew Margaret, she was the daughter of Jane Star, and she happened to be Margaret's friend."I should be asking you that," He snorted, she continued, "now let go of her!" Nicole ordered. Hook opened his mouth to say something before he rested his gaze on Retep, who was behind her. A dark smile played on his lips. "I see." Just then, others began to pop out from every direction, even above. Like they were actually standing on something. Two of them quickly grabbing Nicole's arms and pulling them behind her back. "Let me go!" She growled, struggling against their iron grip. It was no use.

They placed the fidgeting Retep in a bottle and placed him under a lamp light, so he couldn't escape. Nicole looked at Margaret and then at the man. A very dark smile fell on his face and he released the girl and she ran down the street, terrified. Nicole tore her gaze from her friend to look at the man's face. He curled his mustache with his hook-hand and smirked. "Hm...I was going to take the girl...but perhaps not." He said, his smirk growing wider. "She'll do." He said at last. Nicole growled. "What am I a consolation prize?" She growled, kicking the air. Hook smiled. "Spunky. I like that." He said in amusement. Before Nicole could say anything, she was gagged and stuffed into a bag. 'This must be how Christmas toys feel being crammed inside Santa's sack.' Nicole struggled, trying to break free but it didn't work. Deep dread filled her heart. Was she seriously being kidnapped? And where the hell was Retep? The bottle that was thrown into her bag shortly after answered her question as Retep came bursting out, but couldn't break free.

Hook started walking but seemed to slam into the air, his whole body rattling."Mr. Smee!" The man called and Mr. Smee came out. "Yes captain?" "Hurry up and bring the girl here. We don't have time for this." He snarled and Smee nodded and flung Nicole and Retep over his shoulder and then threw the bag onto the ship, which was sitting in the middle of the street. It had been invisible. The ship suddenly took off, catching Nicole by surprise and she let out a muffled scream. The scream caught Retep by surprise and, although she couldn't feel it, she felt him place his hand over hers.

The ship weaved through buildings easily and stayed invisible throughout until they were up in the air. Nicole continued to fidget, but it was no use. Crap. What had she gotten herself into? Hook let out a proud laugh as they flew higher into the sky. To the second star to the right; to Never Land. And then she remembered.

"Oh CRAP. There's no food for Spice!"

Retep stared in disbelief. This was going to be a long ride…

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**A/N:: Wow. You know, chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 were all chapter 1 in the original before. ._. See what I said about it being rushed?**

**How are you liking the revised version so far? :3**

**There's a moth…in my room…o_o *random***

**Thanks for reading! Ja ne!**


	12. The Return pt 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot though. :)**

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_I hate you, you hate me. Let's get together and KILL ME ALREADY! Ugh…_

Hook's laugh rang long and proud, un-phased by the noise that seemed desperate to drown it out. And by 'noise' it no doubt refers to the cars whizzing by (who were, apparently, oblivious to a flying ship) and the rockets on the ship loud as bloody hell. He continued to laugh, however, like he had just hit it big in the lottery or some bull crap. The only reason Nicole was not fidgeting like a maniac was because she was too busy keeping her hands pressed firmly on her ears to drown out the sounds. Retep, however, didn't seemed to be bothered by the sounds and continued to shift closer and closer to the skin of the bag.

Nicole would have asked what he was doing, but when the ship suddenly increased its pace and the bag went flying forward, the only thing on her mind was 'We're going to die' Before such a thing could happen, one of the crew members gripped the bag and held onto it tightly. Retep continued to shift and fidget subtly, leaving the other child to keep her puke inside her stomach, lest she hurl inside the bag. Imagine swimming in your own vomit. Not a pretty sight.

Meanwhile, outside the bag, Hook was leaning over the metal railing, hook extended towards the well-known star. "Full speed ahead!" He shouted, his grip on the railing tightening as they shot into the blurring colors from inside the star. The sounds of London faded into the background as they got closer and closer to their destination. A sickening smirk carved its way onto his face as Never Land came into sight. It was a glorious occasion for the pirate actually; to be back home. It looked just as it always had…almost. The only difference was that the sky wasn't as clear a blue as it used to be. It had a dirty grey tinge to it, almost like it was preparing for a rainstorm.

The ship began slowing down as they neared a swamp. Hook had found this little "beauty" within the year Jane had left and his ship had been destroyed by that god forsaken octopus. He had wandered until he had stumbled across this goopy-water tree-covered piece of heaven. Sure, he had to kill some ridiculous witch that lived in said swamp, but it was worth it. Not only was this location out of the way and under the radar, but he got a free house too. He had inhabited this place for fifteen years now, and he had had a lot of time to think. He finally managed to make a fool-proof plan; he just knew it.

Inside the bag, Nicole watched Retep in growing interest as the shadow continued to chew the bag. She moved closer to him, head poking over his shoulder. "What are you doing?" She whispered. Retep paused his ministrations to look over at the orphan. "Tou teg nac ew os gab eht hguorht gnitib m'I. …krow ll'ti fi wonk t'nod I. Nur uoy, yas I nehw." Nicole stared at him with the same confused look from earlier and slapped her forehead. "I still don't know what you're saying." She sighed in defeat and annoyance. Deciding it couldn't be bothered, she slumped and decided to wait and see. Retep continued.

The ship finally landed quietly in the water and as they went deeper and deeper, it became more populated. More than 30 pirates were on the muddy shores, polishing their swords and various weapons. Watching Hook's ship appear, they stopped their activities and saluted. "Captain." They said respectfully. Hook nodded once. "Evening." He greeted. In a matter of minutes, the ship pulled into a dock in front of a house in a tree. It had a stern and unwelcome air surrounding it, despite there being normal-looking people inside. Or, at least, as normal as pirates could be.

Just as one of the crew members reached for the bag, it rustled and the children tumbled out. "NUR!" Retep yelled, slithering off. Not needing to be told twice, Nicole lifted herself off the floor and ran into the forest after Retep. Hook placed his index and thumb on the bridge of his nose and squeezed. "Ugh. Get them." He commanded tiredly. The others nodded in unison and took off after the two. "Troublesome." Smee said, currently standing next to the captain. With a sigh, Hook removed his fingers, opened his eyes and started walking in the opposite direction. "Hardly."

Nicole tried her best to keep up with Retep, but a girl could only run so fast. The only type of running the kid had ever done was in tag, and even then she was always getting tagged. She could hear footsteps, one on each side of her, seeming to keep pace with her like it was nothing even though she was going as fast as she could. She was left to drown in her fear and wonder if they were toying with her mind. Retep was several steps ahead of her, which was good; he could call for help or something. Something was thrown in her path and, not having enough time to avoid it, she tripped and landed roughly on her stomach. Blood spilled from her cracked lip and fell to the muddy floor rapidly. She was only on the ground for a second before she started to stand.

However, before she took even one step, a pair of muscular arms wrapped around Nicole's waist and lifted her into the air. Her hands immediately gripped the arm, biting her nails into the skin, the blood gathering under her nails. The pirate growled, but otherwise didn't let go. Retep, who was slithering from tree to tree, automatically stopped and turned to help her. "No!" Her voice stopped him dead in his tracks. "Go Retep! Get help or something! Go!" She screamed, feet flailing in the air. The other pirate stared at Retep and grabbed a golden ball from his pocket. It was filled with light and, when he pulled out the trigger, the neon yellow gas spilled out and aimed for the shadow. Retep barely managed to dodge the light flung his way and, deciding to heed Nicole's advice, he took off. He would get his human; then everything would be okay. Everything always turned out okay when Peter came into the picture. That thought in mind (and the fact the light was still pursuing) he picked up his speed.

"Keh. Damn thing; don't matter." The pirate shrugged. The fidgeting orphan was thrown onto her back on the ground, the pirate sitting on top of her. His hands came to wrap around her neck, but a sharp growl from another pirate stopped him. "Hey, no harming her. You know that." He snarled. As if being held down by a buff man wasn't terrifying enough, the other pirate began walking over with a needle full of oozing green pus. Eyes wide, Nicole started trying to shake herself free, but it was useless. What if they decided to take advantage of her or something? Or kill her in her sleep? She let out a scream when she felt the sharp point stab into her skin. Her world almost immediately went black as she fell unconscious.

The pirate waited a moment or two before he lifted himself up and off the girl and turned to his comrade. "We should get her to base." He said. His friend nodded in agreement and flung the sleeping girl over his shoulder and they walked back. "Hey, Lenny." The empty-handed pirate prodded, causing Lenny to roll his eyes. "What is it, Eric?" He grumbled, though he didn't really want to know. "Knock knock." A sigh. "Who's there?" "Your mom." "Your mom who?" "Your mom's my whore! Ha aha ha!" Lenny grimaced and shook his head. Dear god…

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**A/N: How was that even a joke? o.o **

**Well, thanks for reading everyone! Next chapter'll be up in a few minutes or so! Ja ne!**


	13. The Return pt 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot though. :)**

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_La la la...unconscious._

Peter Pan was currently lounging on a cloud, arms behind his head in the usual 'relaxation' pose. His glossy amber eyes were fixed on the steel-blue sky in a mixture of curiosity and distaste. Surely the sky couldn't have always been so gloomy. He remembered a time when it was such a vibrant blue that it made him smile. But now every time he looked he felt like ducking under a tree to get some sort of shield from the oncoming rain. It never did rain, and that was what he didn't like. There was no reason to be so depressing if it wasn't going to rain. The corner of his mouth turned downwards as he thought of the clear droplets that fell from the sky. It didn't happen often, but when it did he hardly wanted to leave. He _despised_ rain with everything he had. Water was bad enough, but water _falling from the sky?_ Screw that.

His attention was directed towards his tiny best friend when she sneezed. His eyes looked over at her with confusion. "Sick, Tink?" He questioned the fairy. She had been sneezing for some time now, but every time he would ask she would just shake it off. Like she was immune to sickness. He nearly had a heart attack when she died when Jane came and he never wanted to go through anything like that again. He wouldn't be able to bear it. Stubborn, as always, Tinkerbell shook her head. "No." Sneeze. Peter grumbled. "That's what you always say." He grumbled. Silence fell once again before Peter huffed. "Ya know Tink? I think your prank has gotten out of control." Tink had told him, oh, maybe a week after she had done it and, he thought it was funny. But now, it was just getting out of ha—

Hearing the ragged breath of his friends, Peter knew the Lost Boys were close and decided to brighten up a bit. His half-frown turned into a full-blown grin as he jumped down and in front of the boys. "We couldn't find it, Captain." Chubby whined, making Peter frown once again. Damn shadow! Where the hell could it go? They had spent the last four months searching for it, and yet no luck. Didn't he know that jokes get annoying after a while? Four months was much too long. "Maybe he went to London." Tootles said, catching everyone's attention. Peter blinked once or twice. "You think?" His gaze lifted to the sky as he thought about London. The last time he was there was to return Jane to Wendy. So long…he wondered how much it had changed.

He glanced down to look at the curious faces of the Lost Boys and grinned. "Alright, it couldn't hurt to pay the Darling family a visit. Let's go." He said, glancing over at Tinkerbell, who seemed content resting on his shoulder. "Tink?" He asked. The little fairy nodded and, just as she was about to coat everyone in her pixie dust, Retep slithered onto the open field. "Peter, look!" Nibs said, pointing over at the shadow. Curious, Peter turned to face what Nibs was pointing to and blinked. "Hey, it's my shadow!" He exclaimed, causing the boys to jump and clap enthusiastically. He walked over to the shadow on the ground and grumbled; it was times like this he wished Wendy was here, how the hell was he supposed to get it back on?

However, Retep had no desire to be sewn back on just yet as he began screaming things at Peter. Peter, however, seemed to be confused. Since when could his shadow talk? He didn't know what was possible. And the things that spilled from his lips was nothing short of gibberish. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I uh…don't know what you're saying." Retep's jaw fell (not like anyone could see it) to the ground at his master's confusion. He could've sworn his human would know his language. Then again it's not like he spoke very often… A sigh escaped his lips. This was going to take a while, eat up time he just didn't have. He hoped Nicole was doing alright…

Speaking of the devil, she was still unconscious. Nicole was currently being carried bridal style (Lenny had apparently tired of carrying her like she was a sack of potatoes) and they were finally on familiar grounds. Hardly able to keep his joy in, Eric raised his fist into the air. "Hell yea! We're back!" It earned him non-stop eye rolling from the training pirates on the training grounds just a few feet away. The two slowed until they eventually stopped in front of an obscenely overgrown tree in the middle of the swamp. The trunk was twisted and mangled in all sorts of different directions, like it was a work of art. Resting, rather easily, on one of the on-steroid branches was a silver house. It was curved in such a way that it looked like half a dome; the top arched and circular, the bottom straight and flat. It was made of metal. There was no door and there was only one window, though it was covered by a curtain. Granted, the curtain was white and the shadows were visible, but it was still hard to see through it.

Turning their attention towards the tree trunk once again, they watched as it shook once or twice before a small portion of it opened. Inside there was an elevator, leading up towards the house. Grimacing at the small size, the two men leaned forward and walked inside. The elevator was held up by a string so, in order to go up, they had to roll the knobs on each side to get it moving. Eric gripped one of the knobs and glared over at Lenny. "Well? Place the chick down and help me." With a groan, Lenny did as instructed and placed Nicole on the floor, gripped a knob and started turning it in time with Eric. They made it up in two minutes (the weight of a girl and two men was ridiculous) out of breath.

The door in front of them opened automatically. "Oh yea, the doors are automatic but not the elevator. Dumb_ass_!" Eric snapped, stepping inside the room. Lenny sighed, picking up the orphan, flung her over his shoulder once more and stepped inside as well. The room was actually very spacious, despite how much smaller it looked on the outside. In one corner there was a mini bar, where pirates were currently being served, and in another there seemed to be a library. No one seemed to like the library. And the rest of the room was basically an armory. Weapons were everywhere, whether they were being polished or purchased, they were there.

The two pirates were tempted to go to the bar and unwind with a beer but, realizing that they had a job to do, they grumbled and walked turned the corner and continued down the hall. They eventually made it to a metal door at the end of a narrow hallway and they knew that they were close. They opened the door carelessly, Eric entering first. Before Lenny even put a foot inside, Eric's jugular vein was stabbed with a sword and he fell to floor, dead. Lenny's eyes flashed with fear as he stared at Hook, sword on his throat. Hook huffed and placed the sword back in its sheath and looked over at Lenny. "Don't be a fool like this moron; knock. Do we understand each other?" He growled. At Lenny's frightened nod, he yawned and walked into the room.

Carefully stepping over his friend's dead and bleeding body, he walked inside the all-metal room. It had a serious look about it; the only furniture in it was a long white couch right in the middle. A few paintings here and there, but nothing else. He gulped once when he saw the couch occupied by pirates even bigger and scarier than he was; which was saying something. He nearly screamed when he felt something rub against his leg; then wanted to kill the cat. At the sound of a laugh, he looked over to yell at whoever it was but, before he could, he was decapitated. Before Nicole fell to the ground, Hook caught her. "He was annoying me." He grumbled, as if it would justify his actions of killing two pirates in two minutes.

Placing the girl on the floor, he looked over at the pirate that had laughed. Standing in front of him was a beautiful woman. Her skin was the rich and vibrant color of caramel, her body lean and muscular. Her eyes were the color of chocolate and her curly hair was a wonderful mixture of red and black. She was wearing what seemed to be a shredded purple skirt that did absolutely nothing to cover herself. Hell, if she bent over, everything would be seen. Same went with her shirt; a white belly-shirt. The matching bandana on her head and black boots tied the entire outfit together. The last piece she had on her ensemble was a golden sword attached to her hip and securely tucked in its black sheath. She was definitely something someone would look twice at. Her full lips were frowning as she stared at the orphan on the floor. "Hook…that is not the girl we decided on." She sounded disappointed.

"Now now Sonya," Hook started, walking over to her and draping an arm over her shoulder, "look at it this way." Her eyebrow arched, curious. "I was going to get the Margaret child, but this one came and interfered. Margaret seemed to know her and vice versa. It must've been fate that this child came to me." He said, glancing over at the woman in hopes she would trust in him. Her lips puckered in thought before she shrugged. "I'm not one for fate…" Hook pointed towards the ring on her finger. "Our love was by fate, chance." He said. Sonya stared down at her engagement ring for a moment before she smiled. "I suppose." Hook sighed in relief.

He had met Sonya three years ago when she stumbled into his territory. She was going to be killed by his crew until he decided to spare her. She had explained that her ship had ran out of gas and she needed to land here or crash land somewhere else. One thing led to another and Hook soon found himself falling in love with the woman. She must've felt the same way, because she asked to stay and gave him her ship. He asked her to marry her and she had said yes, and after that they had been working together to make his plan a reality. They were set to marry whenever the plan finished, and he was confident that it would be over in no time. As much as he hated to admit it, she had him wrapped around her delicate finger and he would bend over backwards to do whatever she wanted.

With a yawn, Hook nodded. "We should start." He said, feeling energized when Sonya planted a kiss on his lips quickly, almost shyly. He sniggered and picked up a new bag (one that wasn't chewed through) and marinated it in the blood on the floor. Once he was satisfied with the outcome, he pulled the unconscious girl to her feet and placed her in the bloody bag. Walking over to the window, he smirked. "Get the ship ready! We take off in a few minutes!" Watching everyone scatter to do as they were told caused such a strong feeling of power to well in his chest.

"Let's do this."

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**A/N: Ha, done. How'd you like it? c: Listening to Feel Good Drag by Anberlin and it's fabulous. :D If you never heard it, you should.**

**Love that song. Anyway, thanks for reading! Ja ne!**


	14. Into Action

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot though. :)**

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_What did I get myself into? Damn._

_She was in a rowboat in the middle of a beautiful lake. The sun was on a mission to blind her. The water was an adorable shade of blue and calm enough that she felt safe even without some sort of life-preserver. She was dressed up in a frilly, flowery dress and white gloves. She felt fancy. This wonderful feeling lasted a good amount of time before paranoia began creeping around the edges. Her eyes snapped from side to side, up and down. The current began to increase in tempo, causing a frightened Nicole to grip the edges of the tiny boat. She found herself in an ocean, the waves 30 feet tall. She hardly had time to gasp before one engulfed her. It dragged her down. The sand scratched her skin, the salt burned her eyes and the pressure kept her under. Her world faded to black… _

Swaying. The sensation made Nicole feel dangerously nauseous. Her eyes opened, but were met only with darkness. She was left to wonder if her dream was a reality and if she had actually died. Her breathing became ragged as the idea further plagued her mind, trapping her in it's disgusting virus. The sudden feeling of falling snapped her out of her state. She slammed into something hard, causing her to whimper. A rustle, some shifting and she slipped right out the bag she had been confined in. Needless to say, she had a less-than-knowing expression painted on her face. She stared up at the man in a red coat leaning over the railing, eyes boring into hers. She suddenly felt uneasy and decided to look at the crew instead. Hook groaned and placed a hand on his sword, but Smee's voice stopped him.

"No need to worry Captain. I'll handle it. I have a plan." He ran off. Hook sighed and removed his hand and decided to watch the chaos that was sure to come. Meanwhile, Nicole was still in a daze. Seconds ticked by, slowly her eyes began to widen as her memories started pouring back in. This was not good, not good at all. Her ears perked at the sound of a wave smashing into the side of the ship. Memories from her nightmare flooded—engulfed—CAME to her and her heart accelerated. "She's awake!" One yelled, causing Nicole's eyes to snap over to the pirate. Her gaze shifted over to the short, pudgy man from earlier. Oh, what was his name? Key? Flee? Lee? He waddled over, pointing his stubby finger towards her. "Don't let her escape. Get her!" A distinct 'smack' was heard as Hook's palm landed on his own forehead.

Nicole barely managed to stand before she was surrounded by big, buff, seemingly steroid-taking pirates. Panicked, her eyes searched for something, anything, in desperation. They rested on the swords hanging from a hook near the edge of the ship. With a gulp, she prepared herself to do something reckless. As soon as she saw them lunge, she ran towards them and slid under their legs. They chased her and, to get them off her back she began tipping over barrels which they comically tripped over. She grabbed two of the incredibly heavy and bothersome swords and pointed them over, albeit shakily. "She's got a sword!" One of the pirates squeaked, immediately bitch slapped. "Dumbass, so do we. She doesn't even know how to use it." A smirk.

Nicole swallowed the small amount of saliva left in her mouth and prepared herself for a fight. Just as they raised their swords the ship was hit by another wave and, not able to keep her balance, Nicole fell right over the edge. She screamed, the crew screamed, Smee screamed; Hook groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. "Idiots…" A crash as she fell into the water. Everyone stayed dumbstruck. "Ehm," Hook mumbled, causing chills to run down their spines, "hurry up and GET THE BODY!" His outburst caused most of his crew to dive head-first into the icy waters to retrieve the girl. Hook could hardly contain his responding snarl. "You need a boat, fuckers!" He barked. He all but flung the small rowboat into the water.

Less than a minute passed before his crew resurfaced, girl in arms. They all huddled onto the small rowboat and they were pulled up by the remaining crew members still aboard the ship. Hook stared at the unconscious girl with a grimace; she was certainly going to be a hand full if she woke up again. "Hit her again with a shot of chloroform. Extra green swamp slime this time, guys. We need her to stay asleep, got it?" He huffed, walking off; not even bothered to watch them do it and stuff her back in the sack. Chloroform was something that Sonya had introduced him to, seeing as he had never heard of it before. She had an entire cellar filled with the crap. But it got opened and water spilled in, so it's less potent now then it was before.

The green swamp slime he had discovered himself when he found one of his crew members passed out near a glop of it. It heightens the effect of the chloroform (It could last up to an hour, whereas before it only lasted about 20 minutes because of all the damn water) but it does have a nasty side effect. It gives people amnesia for a few minutes, hence the blank look he saw on Nicole's face before. Too much of the stuff and it could wipe out all memories. Not that he had a problem with that, of course, but he had a mission to do and he'd be damned if it all just fell apart because the girl couldn't handle the slime. As the ship began to fly into territories he hadn't been in, in so long, his eyes hardened. His hands were intertwined behind his back, giving off a distant, cold and serious look. Was it intended? Of course. Like hell he was going to be the punching bag anymore. Not this time, not anymore. He was through with—

Footsteps snapped him out of his trance, but it didn't make him feel any better. In fact, if he weren't so sure it was Smee, he would've killed the stupid son of a bitch who decided it was okay to interrupt his deep, personal thoughts. Said footsteps neared closer to the Captain until they were standing right beside him, though he hardly moved. Or cared. "She's sedated, Captain." Smee reported, watching his commander shrug carelessly. "Do you want a reward Smee? For doing your job?" He questioned coldly, leaving his older side-kick in stunned silence and with a wicked shiver running down his spine. When he got no answer, Hook decided to go back into his own mind to re-visit all his 'lovely' times in this hell hole called Never Land. Ever since his last battle with the wretched Peter Pan (that was 15 years ago, mind you) he had become much more dark. Unforgiving. When that little brat Jane defeated him (a little girl!) with her stupid magic flying trick he had grown much angrier.

It was the second time he was defeated by a small female child and he couldn't even begin to count the times with Peter. He hated everyone and everything, especially his crew. They were getting on his last nerve, every single one of them. Bumbling idiots is what they are. If he weren't so weak before he would have noticed sooner. But he didn't, because he just needed protection. Some sort of shield between him and Peter so that he could kill him the sneaky way. Fucking morons; oh how he hated his crew. But, regardless how strong his hate for them was, it was nothing compared to his white-hot, deeply seated hate for Peter Pan. He wanted to do much more than just make the boy walk the plank. Dear, he wanted to do so much more. He wanted to make Peter suffer like he has suffered all his life. Get him back for everything that disgusting brat had done to him.

He would get revenge for his hand, for his dignity. He wanted to torture the boy until he was _**begging**_ to die, and then just let him rot. _Rot._ He was through playing these little mind-rape games the boy seemed so entertained to use on him; he was going to show that he had very little patience left. All the time he wasted making those stupid little speeches instead of just killing him. Well, not this time. No sir, he wasn't going to have any of that shit. But he wasn't going to do things head-first without planning them out either. No. No, he had a plan now. A beautifully fool-proof plan that he had worked countless hours on. It was perfect now, and nothing would ruin it. They landed on the edge of a cliff, the sky darker here than anywhere else. Pulling out a small fairy whistle, Hook blew. It was silent and he guessed only fairies could hear it. "Soon…"

* * *

Peter was dancing on his shadow's last nerve. He didn't know how else to explain the situation to his human. He had tried speaking and pulling, even writing. Nothing seemed to get through his thick head, though. Even now as he stared at the words he wrote on the ground, Peter seemed to be just as oblivious as he was ten minutes ago. Just as he was about to consider dragging Peter over, Tinkerbell started shaking. She covered her ears, but she still seemed to be bothered by something. The boys, all of them, turned to stare at the fairy in curiosity. "You okay, Tink?" Cubby asked, worried. He looked over at Peter, who seemed to be hearing something as well. His ears only twitched as opposed to Tink's whole body shaking. Tinkerbell was immobile for a moment before she darted towards the sound of the whistle. A collective 'Tinkerbell' tore through the Lost Boys mouths before they had time to stop it. Peter nodded once over at his confused crew. "Let's go." They darted into the forest, following after the hurrying fairy. Retep blinked before he followed as well, just as confused as everyone else.

Meanwhile, Hook had passed the whistle over to Smee, who was still blowing. He was doing very well. Hook looked at the bag as to which Nicole was fast asleep in and picked it up easily. "Hm. This is going to work Peter Pan." A smirk lit up his face. "And I can promise you this," his smirk darkened, "I will not be kind." CRASH! Hook fell on his ass and stared over at the bag that was now a few feet away from him. That…that little bitch kicked him in her sleep. He growled, pulling out his sword. He forced himself to re-sheath it as he reminded himself of his plan. It took a lot of shakily-grasped control on his part. He gripped the bag and placed it next to his feet as he leaned over the railing in boredom. "Soon." Smee was standing next to him, still blowing the whistle. It was amazing; like he had three lungs. "You're going to make one man very happy one day, Mr. Smee." A glare was shot, but Hook ignored it with a snort.

_Come to me, Peter Pan…_

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**A/N: Finished. :) Next chapter is when everything'll start I suppose. Depends on how I feel. :x **

**T****hanks for reading and all that good stuff, I appreciate it. :) Next chapter will be up…uh…maybe later. If not, tomorrow. See you then, Ja ne!**


	15. Contents Unknown

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot though. :)**

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The Lost Boys continued to follow Tinkerbell as she led them deeper and farther into Never Land. Peter was close behind, making it his duty to make sure no one tried to attack them from behind. Surprise attacks were becoming increasingly common in the once-peaceful paradise, and Peter was beginning to suspect something was going on. Which was saying a lot, seeing as everything seems to just fly over the boy's head. Pushing vines out of the way, they set their eyes on an enormous cliff. It must've been 40 feet tall, it was narrow and foggy at the top; where the whistling was coming from. The water right below it was clear and still, though it was filled with scary sharp rocks. Simultaneous gulps soon followed. Realizing that this would be more dangerous than once assumed, Peter let the vines go and faced his crew.

"Go home." The command shocked the boys. Before they could ask, Peter held up a hand, silencing them. "This'll be dangerous, guys. Go home, I can do it." He commanded once more. His crew shifted awkwardly for a moment before they saluted their leader and went back the way they came. Peter glanced over at Tinkerbell, who was sitting on his shoulder, and took it as a sign that she was coming along. With a quiet yawn, Peter soared upwards, towards the top of the cliff. The fog got thicker the higher he went, but he knew his direction was up, and that's all that mattered. He placed his feet firmly on the rocky ground once they reached the top. It wasn't too foggy, so he could still see. He could hear the whistle; it was so close. He walked forward until he came face to face with a ship. He lifted his gaze and stared, dumbstruck.

Hook's eyes settled on Peter and couldn't hold back the grin that imprinted itself on his face. He hadn't changed a bit since he last saw him; golden brown hair put in a relaxed right-side swept bang style. His eyes were an intense amber color, which were currently fixed on him by the way. He was dressed in a long green shirt that looked almost like a dress and some green tights underneath. His feet were bare at the moment, but he had to wonder what the child wore on his feet. On a completely unrelated and highly unimportant note, Peter seemed to have been working out. Often. Although it wasn't in-face-apparent, he was certainly beginning to form abs. Not that…Hook noticed or anything.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Peter arch an eyebrow or float up until he was in front of the pirate. Or that Smee had passed out from blowing the whistle for such a long period of time. His eyes were calculating and curious even though his stance was relaxed and careless. Hook stared at the boy for a moment before he smirked. "My my Peter, long time no see." He said as nicely as he could. Peter, currently sitting Indian style mid-air, gave a smile of his own. "Guess so, ya old codfish." He said in his own form of greeting, a cocky grin on his face. He blinked. "New ship?" He asked; Hook nodded stiffly. An awkward tension filled the air; enemies really shouldn't engage in casual conversation. It just wasn't healthy. His gaze fell onto the bag near the pirate's feet. "What's in there?" He asked, pointing over to said bag. Hook, wanting to keep the boy guessing, scowled and pulled out his sword. "Fight me and you'll find out." He jabbed his sword.

For a moment, he felt nostalgic when Peter's dagger immediately blocked the attack. The sound of metal clashing with metal was like music to his ears. Ah, so long. Snapping out of his apparent daze, Hook gave the boy a cocky smile of his own. "Why don't we see how much has changed?" He challenged. Cracking his neck, Peter's eyes glittered in excitement. "Heck yea!" They were a blur of motion; Hook jabbed, Peter dodged. Peter jabbed and collided with Hook's sword. They pushed against each other until it was too much and they had to break apart; so they jumped back and away from each other. Deciding to have some fun, Peter flew upwards. Hook rolled his eyes but followed by using the ladder. Moments later they were clashing again, Hook making the nearly-fatal mistake of dropping his sword.

Luckily, Peter's dagger only managed to cut his cheek before Hook grabbed his sword again and blocked the next attack. Hook was on his back now, sword on top of him to keep anymore blood from being shed from his body. With a growl, he used all his force to shove the boy back, which worked. He nearly fell off the not-needed sail pole, but Peter was stealthy and hardly missed a beat. Not wanting to fly this time around, he pulled himself back up manually, giving Hook's jaw a nice good kick that sent him staggering back. With a smile, Peter came right back with the same force and enthusiasm as before; it had been ages since he had a good sword fight, and he'd be damned if he let it go to waste. Hook seemed to notice as he wiped the small amount of blood that fell from the corner of his mouth. _Peter Pan, you have gotten stronger. But I…am stronger than you._ With that thought in mind, Hook came at Peter full force.

* * *

They must have been at it for a good 30 minutes. By the end of the scrap Peter had a bleeding lip, bruised rib and a sprained ankle. Hook had a broken nose, fractured jaw, a dagger flesh-wound and a bleeding lip. Peter (who was standing a few feet away from Hook) was out of breath. A slight rustling noise caught his attention and, even though he knew it wasn't smart to turn from enemy during battle, he stared over at the bag from earlier. Just as expected, as soon as his back was turned Hook went for the kill, but Peter would have none of that. His gaze was still on the bag, but he know held Hook's sword off with his dagger. Curiosity spiked when he spotted the crew starting to lift it and move closer towards the railing. Despite the situation at hand, he found himself asking Hook a question. "Hey, uh…what's in the bag?" He asked, jumping back to dodge the intended stab of the pirate's sword. Hook seemed amused by the question and smiled inwardly; his plan was working perfectly. Deciding to be overly-dramatic, Hook sighed and flipped his hair slightly.

"None of your business, Pan. It's very important and very valuable," as he spoke, he placed the back of his hand on his forehead and turned 90 degrees to the right; Peter leaned forward, ears perking, "to you." He finished. Peter leaned back into his previous position, a look of confusion on his face. "What?" He asked, thinking he had heard incorrectly. "I _said_," Hook started, turning to face Peter with a twisted look, "it's important and valuable to _you_, Peter." The 13-year-old stood dumbfounded and it took a lot of Hook's self-control to not bash his face in. Jesus, how much clearer did he have to be? Deciding to take the high-road, he pointed towards the bag and Peter's eyes followed like a lost puppy. "In that bag is someone close to someone you know." He said, causing Peter's eyes to flash to his face then back to the bag currently dangling over the edge of the ship. He began to feel uneasy. "What are you talking about?" He spat, trying to block the image of a _person_ in the bag. Hook, however, noticed and was going to make him snap; he was getting bored.

"Exactly what you think I mean. You want to know who's in there?" Fists clenched as Peter shook his head vigorously. He didn't want to know, he couldn't deal with this again. Not again. They come, they leave and then he never sees them again. He didn't know how much more his heart could take. However, Hook seemed to be bent on egging him on. "It's Jane's daughter." Watching the boy start to shake, he knew he had him. Now just one more line… "Poor thing. She put up a good fight." Right when Peter's eyes widened, the bag was dropped. It fell, and fell…and fell. In the back of his mind, Peter knew that kind of fall would kill someone…but if she was already dead…or was she? Hook's expression gave him no clue. Tinkerbell tugged on Peter's hair roughly. "Peter! The body!" She reminded, snapping him out of his little trance and he dove head first off the ship and off the cliff. Hook smiled a little; phase one complete. "Come boys, our job is done." The ship rocketed through the sky, leaving the scene smoothly.

Meanwhile, Peter was using the wind to speed up so he could catch the bag before they both collided with the jagged rocks beneath the water's surface. Tinkerbell was on his shoulder, eyes shut in slight fear. They were so close to the ground. Stretching his arm, Peter grasped a piece, but that piece was all he needed as he clawed more of it and finally managed to carry it bridal-style. He shot upwards just before they were impaled, flinching when Tink's short shocked scream reached his ears. Peter made a sharp turn, away from their home, causing Tinkerbell to become confused. "Where are we going?" "Anywhere. I don't want the boys to see…a dead body, if that's what's in here." He said, picking up in speed. Tinkerbell decided not to argue and only made herself more comfortable while they flew to Lord knows where.

* * *

They must've been staring at the bag for an hour; Tink couldn't remember. All she knew was that the sand was burning her ass as she sat Indian style next to the dumbstruck teen. Of all the places he could have taken them, he decided to come to a beach. On an incredibly hot day too, no less. Just because the sky was darker didn't mean the sun wasn't scorching them from the inside out. Boiling them like eggs someone had left on a cement block to see if it would actually cook. She stayed in silence for a little while longer before she exploded. "Peter! Open. The. Bag! It's a thousand degrees out here!" It seemed to work. Wiping a bead of sweat away from his brow, Peter looked over at Tink with a sigh. "Alright," he said, moving closer towards the bag, "let's see." His fingers hung above the little string that held the top of the bag open.

His fingers twitched and shook in a mixture of anticipation and fear. His lower lip was caught between his teeth as he tried to concentrate. His breathing accelerated to the point where he was panting and his heart beat mercilessly against his chest. And then he felt it; a small tugging in his chest. It pulled him forward, told him to open the bag. His mouth felt dry, his throat itchy and scratchy, his tongue much too big. "Peter!" The annoyed shout snapped him out of his daze once again. Slowly, carefully, he began to undo the string. He took his time, much to his fairy-friends' annoyance, and finally managed to take it off. The top opened automatically, but not enough for him to see what was inside. Taking one last look at his friend (and feeling cocky that Tinkerbell was just as frightened as he was) he put his fingers inside and pulled open the top. The children leaned forward to peer inside and their faces scrunched up in confusion.

"What the…"

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**A/N: Chaptah thirteen! Woot! :) That took me longer to upload then I thought (that's my fault, though, I was being a complete procrastinator :p) but it's finally done! And I know what you're thinking "Holy crap ANOTHER cliff-hanger? *throttle*" ****Haha, sorry. I kinda like 'em. :o **

**Anyway, I'll see when I can upload the next chapter. It probably won't be over the weekend, only because I have things to do. But I'll try my best, 'kay? :) ****Thanks for reading, everyone. Don't be shy to leave a comment (lord knows I need all the encouragement/flaming/advice I can get, haha) and yea. Ja ne!**

**P.S – Is it just me, or would Drake Bell have made an epic Peter Pan? Not now, because he's much too old, but when he was younger. Like, Telegraph/Early Drake & Josh younger. :D **


	16. Kidnapped?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot though. :)**

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_Recap; . "Peter! Open. The. Bag! It's a thousand degrees out here!" Wiping a bead of sweat away from his brow, Peter looked over at Tink with a sigh. "Alright," he said, moving closer towards the bag, "let's see." His fingers twitched and shook in a mixture of anticipation and fear. He felt it; a small tugging in his chest. It pulled him forward, told him to open the bag. "Peter!" Slowly, carefully, he began to undo the string. The top opened automatically, but not enough for him to see what was inside. He put his fingers inside and pulled open the top. The children leaned forward to peer inside and their faces scrunched up in confusion. "What the…" _

* * *

_I'm…I'm being kidnapped!_

The kids sat in stunned silence as they stared at the body in the bag. Her hair was a dark brown, almost black, her skin was a creamy shade. Peter arched an eyebrow; this looked nothing like a Darling. Where was the brown hair? The skin that was only a few shades lighter than tan? Confusion contaminated his mind as he continued to watch. Slowly, the girl started moving, stretching like she had taken a relaxing nap and opened her eyes, revealing her aquamarine orbs. Sitting up, not fully conscious of her surroundings, she rubbed her eyes, half-asleep. "A zombie!" The sudden outburst caused Nicole to look up just in time to see a figure jump up and zip behind a boulder. Getting over the initial shock (and fear) she let out a small scream.

Jumping up, Nicole began to dust off her body as if it were covered in ants. "Aah! Where, where?" She shrieked, spinning around in a small circle. She somehow managed to trip over her own feet and fall flat on her ass. She whined in annoyance. Peter arched an eyebrow at her antics and slowly came out from behind the boulder; he kept the distance, however. "You're…alive?" He questioned, Tinkerbell popping her head out from underneath his cap where she had taken refuge. Nicole blinked, checking herself before she looked over at Peter. "Wha…no! Do I look dead?" She grumbled. As the boy inched closer, Nicole's memories came back to her. She took a wary step backwards. "I'm warning you, you touch me and I'll…I'll…" As she spoke, she looked around. Finding a small rock, she picked it up and aimed it at his head. "I'll hit you with this rock." Peter stopped walking and smiled in amusement. "Scary." Sarcasm.

Grimacing, Nicole let the rock fall back into the sand and looked over at the…human? "Who are you?" She glanced warily at the small hovering girl next to him. "And who is that?" She was amazed her voice didn't crack. Tinkerbell seemed to take offense to the word 'that' and gave off a growl, but it sounded like mere bells to Nicole's ears. Peter chuckled at his friends' antics and turned his attention back to the newcomer. Peter seemed to take notice so, in an act of kindness, he put a little more distance between them. Seeing a small hint of relief on her features, he figured his work was done and let a smug grin inhabit his face. "I'm Peter Pan." He waited for the praise, holding his head high, standing tall; pride now over-ruling his other senses. Nicole stared for a while, quiet as can be before a uttered a quick "Who?" Peter, caught off guard, looked over at Nicole with a hurt expression. Nicole flinched in regret. "Am I supposed to know?" She questioned. Peter looked off to the side, pouting. "Everyone else knew."

"Everyone…else?" Well, at least she didn't feel completely alone in this situation. Others have gone through it, just as she had. It was comforting to know. Tink was annoyed that she was left out of the loop, so she tugged on Peter's hair in anger. Peter snickered; "And this is Tinkerbell." Nicole glanced over at the girl and opened her mouth to ask what she was (because apparently it was normal here to have a flying Polly pocket) but the boy beat her to it. "What's your name?" Turning her attention back to the b—Peter, she answered. "Oh, uh, Nicole. … Nicole Burd." Well, if he was going to be formal, so would she. His face scrunched up in speculation. Taking a few steps forward, he began to circle her comically. "Nicole Burd, huh?" Nicole blushed in embarrassment. "Y-Yes." He stopped when he came face to face with her. His serious expression melted easily and he gave a big grin. "Welcome to Neverland, Nicole." He greeted, ecstatic he had a new friend to play with. "Just in time too," he said as he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, "we needed a girl here." She arched an eyebrow. "We? You mean, there's more of you?"

At the statement, Peter turned to her with a care-free smile. "Of course." Amused with her expression, Peter decided to tease her a little more and flew up into the air. He floated over to her easily, only a mere few inches apart now. The comic look of disbelief on her face was delicious in itself. "The…YOU FLY?" A movement so sudden it left Peter dizzy, Nicole had grabbed his shirt and yanked him down then proceeded to run. Fast. Lifting his head and spitting out the sand that had been jammed inside his mouth, he hopped to his feet and smirked. This was just like tag. He glanced over at his fairy companion with a lot more enthusiasm than one might've initially expected. "C'mon Tink." Nodding, the two darted off after the girl who was still running down the long strip of beach. Nicole was barefoot, so she stayed right where the water and shore met so that she wouldn't burn herself. She was running as fast as she could, panting even as she tried to get some sort of grip on reality.

She had no clue where she was, though something was telling her she didn't want to know. She glanced out towards the sea, watching the sun rays glitter on the crisp water and she had to smile at the beauty of it. However, the smile was short-lived when she saw a familiar green color closer than she thought. Before his outstretched hand could touch her she jumped down onto her stomach and, although it was painful, it confused Peter. Seeing that as her chance, she stood up once more and decided to make a break for the ocean. She knew how to swim, sort of, and it was better than being here. Taking a deep breath, she dove into the water and let the waves take her. It was relaxing before she saw Peter and Tinkerbell flying above her. "This can't be happening, this can't be happening—aah!" Like a fish, she was scooped out of the water via Peter and they started flying. They meaning the two flying people, of course.

Nicole was just stuck in his arms as Peter held her bridal style. She began to feel uneasy; what would these two do to her? Or the others that there apparently are? Judging from her last experience with hook-for-hand and pudgy, she had a feeling it wasn't going to go smoothly. And the glare the little blonde one was giving her was _not_ helping the situation whatsoever. If she could crawl under a rock, she would. Peter, however, was oblivious to her thoughts and was only thinking about bringing her to meet the rest of the gang and possibly sew his shadow back on. That thing had been gone too long; he wanted back. He glanced down at the frightened girl (though he didn't know she was frightened) and gave a smirk. "You'll love the Lost Boys." He stated and zoomed faster. Nicole held onto his shirt with a death-grip. "Lost…boys?" She got no reply, only faster flying; hooray. There was only one thing that plagued her mind now; she was being kidnapped. Plain and simple.

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**A/N: I know, I know. Long wait. I apologize. :x**

**Hopefully this chapter made up for it, yea? Thanks to everyone who commented, liked, rated, read my story. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. So, anyway, next chapter will be up soon, I hope. Thanks for reading! Ja ne!**


	17. Introductions?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot though. :)**

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_What to do, what to do..._

A smile danced on the corner's of Hook's lips as he scrawled enthusiastically on a piece of paper. Eyes filled with sudden knowledge, then dismay as he feverishly erased everything he had just written down. In an act completely controlled by impulse, he tore the paper to shreds and threw his beer bottle against the wall. He banged his head on the wooden table in utter defeat, calming down. "This is hopeless." He mumbled, barely audible. A knock on the door immediately had his temper flaring with renewed vigor. How many times did he have to tell these people; when he was in his office, he was working. Do not _fucking_ bother him. "What?" He barked, causing the person on the other side to hesitate in answering. He gave out a growl, having a half-mind to stab the fuck out of whoever it was. "Speak now or die now."

"Lame." Was the response. All anger disappeared as Hook all but sprinted towards the door to open it. Just as expected, Sonya was standing in the door way in all her glory. She all but shoved him to the side as she made her way inside. Hook followed like a lost puppy, shutting the door behind him as he watched her flop down on the couch in front of his desk. Fiddling with a dagger idly, Sonya decided to look up at the seemingly dumbstruck captain in disdain. "From what I can see," she began, nodding towards the shreds of paper and beer splat, "that you haven't had much progress." She finished, giving him a hard look. Hook managed to look sheepish as he sat down in his chair across from the lady. "It's much harder than it looks, Sonya." He countered, watching her right eyebrow arch, practically _begging_ for him to explain. Hook was having none of that, however, and merely pulled out another sheet of paper.

Sonya gave a light roll of the eyes at the typical 'Hook' behaviour. "Here's the deal, Hook." She started, catching the Captain's attention with her cold tone. His eyes flicked up just in time to see her get up from her seat and walk over to the pieces of beer bottle across the room. "We don't have time for you to second guess yourself. The plan you had was a fine one, but now you're fucking it up with your negative attitude." She stated, picking up a piece of glass. Eyes narrowed, piercing through her back like daggers. "Negativity is not the issue here. It's the short notice." He snapped, causing Sonya to glare over at him, easily over-powering Hook's look. "If you can't handle a bit of time pressure, than what kind of Captain are you? Do you think other's would be told in advance how they would conquer all? It's happened countless times; you're the only one being a little bitch about it." Hook shot up from his seat, enraged.

"How dare you? I am not being a little bitch! I just have a problem with having to come up with things on the spot!" A smirk. "Exactly what a little bitch would say." Hook growled. "Sonya, you're starting to piss me off." He warned and was only met with a snort of disbelief. "I don't give a damn, Hook. You may have everyone else on this ship scared, but not me. I know how much of a-" Another warning growl. "Sonya I swear." She was unphased. "COWARD you still are deep down. You have nothing more to offer but a sword and a bark worse than your bite. And I am not impressed nor intimidated." She immediately dodged the random objects Hook flung towards her. She rolled her eyes. "Little bitch." Her word was suddenly turned upside down as she was knocked off her feet. Cold metal pressed on her neck, eyes black as night meeting hers. "I am not fucking with you, Sonya. You're pushing all the wrong buttons at the wrong time." No answer.

Tense silence filled the room for some time, neither moving. Hook finally gained some sense and slowly got off of the lady pirate with an almost disgusted scoff and made his way back to his desk, but didn't sit. Sonya grumbled something as she forced herself back on her feet, dusting herself off like she was dusty. "All I'm saying is you're not being very Captain-like. You're supposed lead, not follow." She made her way up the stairs, pausing as she gripped the doorknob. She didn't even look back as she opened the door. "So shape up, before it's too late." A slam. Hook slowly sat back down in his chair, trying to keep from flipping out. Head throbbing from the headache that he was sure was coming, he grabbed a pen and began to scrawl on his paper once more, ready to go.

* * *

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

Two hours, forty-six minutes and ten seconds. But who was counting? Oh yea, Nicole was. That's exactly how long she had been stuck in this place. Thirteen seconds. Why were all these children dressed like animals? Did they get off on that sort of thing? Were they going to make her wear one too? Dear God, she hoped it wasn't anything green. She looked terrible in green. Did they know that? Was that how they were going to torture her? Put her in a green mole outfit and have her dig holes to pop in and out of? Hit her on the head with tree branches? Like it was a game? She placed her hands on either side of her head and shook it quickly. No, no. There was no way they would know any of that. They were just children. Right?

Tick.

Naturally rowdy children were forced into silence as the minutes ticked on. Not so much as a word breaking the tense quiet. Even Tinkerbell was silent, only her normal scrutinizing and jealous gaze reassuring whoever happened to walk in on this scene would know they were not statues. Curious eyes stayed locked on the girl sitting on the floor. Her knees were held close to her chest, back pressed unbelievably close to the wall. Like they were going to kill her. They were scared to speak; they felt like she would explode. And though they all knew logically it was impossible, the expression on the child's face had them carefully re-analyzing facts. And where the hell was Peter? That bastard said he was only going to be gone a few minutes. Liar. The silence ebbed on, making everyone in the room more uncomfortable than nessacary.

Tock.

After what seemed like ages, Peter swooped inside the tree with his arms full of thread of various colors and needles of various sizes. The Lost Boys jumped up in glee as their captain returned. Peter, after placing all his findings on the nearby table, he turned to face his crew, hands folded behind his back. "Atten~~tion!" He dragged out, watching his crew give him respective salutes in return, all in a straight line in front of him. "Boys, this is Nicole." He said, gesturing over to the girl. At the silence, Peter walked over to said girl, pulled her to her feet by her arm and all but dragged her over to where everyone else was. "Boys, this is Nicole." He said again, like they had a hearing issue. "Hi!" They said, more-or-less enthusiastic. "Nicole, boys." He added, nudging her over. "Oh um. Hello." She said shyly, waving at them. "She will be our new mother." He stated, earning a chorus of What's and Another one?'s. Nicole, who had been trying to tug herself free from Peter's grip, had stilled and stared at him in confusion. "What?" She whispered, though she was clearly ignored. "She's gonna sit here and tell us stories all day." He continued.

Finally managing to break free from his hold, Nicole was somewhat furious. "Hold on! What are you all talking about? I can't be a mother; I'm not even a sister! And what do you mean stories all day? Just how many stories do you think I have? I can't—I won't do this." She blurted out. There was silence for a moment or two before Peter gave a huff. "Anyway." He said, turning back to the boys. Inconsiderate jerk. He continued on with his ramblings for another 10 minutes before he turned back to Nicole and handed her the threads and needles. "Um. What is this for?" She asked, staring at the items like they would lay eggs in her brain. Peter whistled loudly and a few seconds later, Retep flew inside. Nicole dropped all the items and ran over to the shadow, to hug him, but of course couldn't. "Retep! You're okay!" She said enthusiastically. "Yea yea, he's fine." Peter huffed. "He's in big trouble, though. So hurry up and sew him back on." Nicole looked over. "Excuse me?" A cold look on her half. "Sew. Him on." He huffed, handing her the items yet again.

"I don't even know how to sew." She huffed. Peter sat down in his chair, feet high. "You'll learn." And suddenly, Nicole felt like running. This was kidnapping at it's finest. Gulping, she walked over to him, kneeling as she took the now motionless Retep and began trying to sew him back on. It took no less than an hour, a very painful hour. She would either jab herself or Peter; sometimes she managed both. Regardless, she managed to finally sew the two back together. "Done." She said, causing the almost-sleeping Peter to open his eyes. He looked down before standing up and testing it out. "Not bad." He said, tapping down. Nicole nodded and started to walk away, but Peter stopped her. "Hey, where are you going?" She shrugged. "Back in my corner. I don't care if you kidnapped me and are holding me prisoner, I just-" She was cut off by Peter's laugh. "Kidnapped? Hostage? You?" More laughter. Nicole huffed. "We only kidnap important people; I don't even know who you are!" Even more laughter. And now she felt useless. "Ugh. I want to go home." She grumbled, sitting down in front of him.

"I bet I can make you feel at home in no time." He stated smoothly, leaning back in his chair. Nicole arched an eyebrow at the suggestion. "Oh really? And how are you gonna do that?" She questioned, challenging his cocky brashness with some of her own. Clear confusion highlighted his face at the unexpected turn of events; but that was his specialty. A smirk graced the elf-boy's face at the question. "We're gonna play a game." The Lost Boys gave equally creepy smiles at the statement. Nicole paled visibly as her heart dropped and died inside her stomach acid; maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Peter gave a quick nod to his thoughts. "But first; baths."

* * *

**A/N: Ugh. I know, I know. Real late. Had some INSANE writer's block, though. Insane. :/**

**Ah well. I hope this made up for it. I know the end seems really shitty and rushed, I'm sorry. I didn't actually know what else to put; if I would have put what I was going to, this chapter would have been crazy long. And, I don't know about you, but I hate really long chapters. Not to short, not to long, that's my motto.**

**I should post the next chapter up soon, but I'm not even gonna say when because I just don't know when that will be. It's real early around here; 5 in the morning. o_o**

**Thanks for reading everyone! I'll try hard to post the next chapter up soon, after some well-deserved sleep. *twitch* Ja ne!**


	18. Sleeping Words

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot though. :)**

* * *

_I feel…happy. But I miss my home. I do. _

A girly scream pierced the cloudy blue skies, birds flying up and out of their trees in shock. A chorus of confident laughter followed right after. Currently, all the Lost Boys were relaxing in their pond of mud, pointing up and laughing at the two teens floating above their heads. Nicole was clinging to Peter's arm with both hands, feet running in the air as she tried to get farther away from the wet dirt directly below her. Peter glanced down at the struggling girl with a bright smile, watching her own eyes meet his in discomfort. "Peter, please! This isn't right!" She pleaded, causing his smile to widen. "Why?" A sigh. If her mum could see her now, dangling over a puddle of mud at supposed "bath time"…why, she'd have a fit! "It's mud!" She cried, but only received another chuckle and his grip loosening. She desperately tried to keep her grip on him, but before she knew it, only the curled tips of his fingers kept her in the air. He gave a shrug. "Welcome home." Drop. Scream. Splat. Laughter. Nicole, though unrecognizable from the amount of mud covering her, lifted her head, eyes shooting daggers at the laughing Peter. Grabbing a handful of mud, she flung it directly into Peter's face, sending him crashing into the mud a few feet across from her. Gasps erupted from the lost boys and Tink, the only one laughing was Nicole.

Peter sat up in disbelief; she just threw mud at him. HIM! The prince of Neverland! Still..it was pretty funny. But he didn't like her right now, so he wouldn't laugh. He just continued to stare at her, no real emotion on his face. The lost boys were in shock, actually; this newcomer just threw mud in their captain's face..like it was nothing. Like this was a normal occurrence. They were allowed to have mud fights because they had known each other for a while, and Peter was certainly allowed to do whatever he pleased because, well, he was Peter. None of the Darlings ever had the courage to do what she did; but then again, she wasn't a Darling now was she? No, she was some cheap imitation that had come here for who knows what. And Tinkerbell, well she was just upset that she had the nerve to do that. To her Peter. Unforgivable! Nicole slowly stopped her laughter, Peter floating directly in front of her. He let a smile paint itself on his face before shoving her back into the mud with a laugh. But it was stopped short when she grabbed onto him and took him down with her. "Whoa, hey!" He laughed. And there they were, rolling around in the mud and having fun and laughing while doing so! The lost boys could now breathe easier and decided to join in on the fun. The only one who was biting her tongue was Tink in rage as she watched on.

* * *

Oh dear God. Why were woman so irritating? Peter had gotten bored, he suggested they play a game, but Nicole was dead set on taking a 'proper bath'. When he refused, she WALKED OFF on her own and found a stupid stream filled with clean water. She was quite annoying in her own right. It had been half an hour since then and they were still at a standstill. Neither one of them ready to back off.

"We're playing a game." He demanded through gritted teeth for what seemed about the thousandth time, but obviously to no avail. She merely waved him off. **Again.** "Not until I bathe properly." Nicole said, Peter narrowing his eyes. She didn't listen to him; not that she was the first to do so. What with all these Darlings coming over here and messing with his authority. But she wasn't even a Darling, and yet here she was, telling him what she would and wouldn't do. Like his title meant nothing. Like hers meant something to him, to them. His face scrunched up in annoyance as he sat down in a tree, and he did nothing to hide the irritation in his voice as he responded. "Fine, then." He closed his eyes. The others mumbled to themselves before sitting down on the ground, the same type of annoyance running through their veins. Hopefully she wouldn't take long. Nicole looked over at them. "Aren't you going to look away?" She questioned, though the question seemed to confuse them, so before she had to explain she waved her hand. "Never mind." She walked into the cold stream with her clothes on. "I can get clean twice as fast." She looked over at Peter, who seemed to want nothing to do with her. "Oh." She sighed, diving down deep into the water, clearing her mind for now.

* * *

The boys sighed in deep boredom, watching Nicole walk out from the water, Peter roused from his sleep. They stared at her quietly as she squeezed out the excess water from her clothing and began to detangle her hair with her fingers. A chorus of 'UGH!' shot through the silence as they slumped back once again because she hadn't finished. "Girls are so boring." Cubby whined, the others letting out groans of agreement. Nicole grumbled and turned away from them. Pigs, all of them. And smelly ones at that. "Well…" She said to herself as she delicately began to braid her hair, "This could have been worse." Peter popped in front of her face suddenly, causing Nicole to scream out in terror before giving the boy the evil eye. She was not in the mood for his bratty behavior. He paid no mind to it, however, as he floated Indian-style in front of her, eyes fixed on her fingers. She arched an eyebrow at his curiosity. "What? Have you not seen one before?" She asked kindly, though received an obnoxious snort in return. "Of course I have. A girl I know has one." He said; what he left out was that he didn't know the name of the hairstyle or how one actually got it. He thought you had to be born with it.

Though, now that he thought about it, the mermaids were always playing with their hair, perhaps trying to shape it in different ways too. Ah well, it didn't concern him, yet he couldn't stop himself from examining how it was done. And how..interesting it made her look. A flustered feeling entered Nicole as he mentioned another girl. Apparently no one here was any better than the flying boy. Awesome. But there was no need to concern herself; once she got back to England, she'd put all this nonsense behind her. She rolled her eyes and continued what she was doing, shy now as his eyes stayed glued on her work. After a few minutes she finished her handiwork, seeming quite pleased with herself. A smile. "I did it." She said, glancing over at Peter, who was STILL staring. Peter decided he liked this new look on not-Wendy. His eyes drifted up to the light shade of pink that spread from her nose outwards toward her cheeks. She huffed abruptly. "What now, Peter?" He flipped himself upside down, getting closer to her face. "Are you sick?" He asked, making Nicole cover the bottom half of her face with one of her hands, the other waving him off. "No, no. I'm fine." That seemed to be good enough for Peter. He smiled and soared high into the air. Nicole let out a sigh and let her hand fall back onto her lap.

"Men! It's time to play a little game!" He announced with great joy, and a sly smirk over at the stunned Nicole. The boys jumped up in pleasure at this news, clapping their hands together and whistling. Peter laughed, planting his feet firmly on a boulder, hands on his hips. "How about a good treasure hunt?" He boomed, causing the others to stop their joyous cries for a moment. "But, we have no treasure." Nibs pointed out, making the leader laugh again. "But we do!" Confused silence. Peter held out his arms, almost as if he were getting ready to hug the earth. "Neverland is full of treasure! Everyone go out and find something of value and bring it back to the tree house. Search ends at sunset." He said. Slightly sneered. "And what do we get if we win, captain?" A chorus of whiny 'yea's filled the space. This was certainly a new game that they hadn't played before; and it didn't seem as exciting as a treasure hunt. He smirked. "Whoever wins this game…I take with me to steal Hook's real treasure." The spark was back in their eyes, their thirst for adventure back on.

Usually, Peter did this alone, mostly because the lost boys would get in his way. So to be offered to GO with him to retrieve the treasure…it excited them greatly. And it showed. Peter looked over at Tink with a knowing look, and while the tiny fairy was chiming away like bells and yanking his hair, he turned to Nicole. "You and Tink will search together. You're too weird to be wandering around by yourself." He said; and even though he didn't mean it to sound cruel, it did. Nicole stuck out her tongue towards him as he let out his famous cry and dashed off. The rest of the lost boys nearly tackled each other to get out of the clearing, but eventually it was just her and Tinkerbell all alone..and she could feel death creeping around the edges. She rambled something in her pretty voice before leading the way. Nicole quickly stood up and took off after her. "Wait, slow down!" She would cry, but to no avail. That fairy wanted nothing to do with her. She wasn't sure how long she had been following the mean fairy, but her feet were starting to wear out. "Tinkerbell, please wait!" She tried, having to sit down. Anger was in her eyes before the small woman rocketed up towards the sky, leaving Nicole alone in Neverland. And it made her sad that she did so, but no matter. She waited a few minutes before standing back up and continuing her search, though she wasn't sure what was valuable or not. She wound up picking up anything that was shiny and hoping for the best. "Not that, I want to go." She reminded herself frequently as she continued on her journey.

She couldn't keep track of time anymore as she hopped over monster trees and hoped that the sun would stay out. Along the way, she had tripped over something small and pink. Her knee scraped against the hard dirt, drawing a little bit of blood. "Ouch!" She whined, gripping it as the sting halted all her senses for a moment. She glanced down at the object with an evil glare, but it slowly disappeared when she noticed how valuable it looked. It was shaped as a bear and it was very, very pretty. "This has to be worth something." She said to herself, stuffing the unknown pink thing into her pocket and walking back where she came from. Or at least, she thought so. But then she started seeing things she hadn't seen before, and then she'd see the same things twice in a row, and she knew she was lost and in trouble. "Oh no." She said, getting more scared by the second before she took off sprinting in any direction she felt like. She came this way without thinking about it, maybe it would work reversed; but luck was not on her side this time. She was very lost.

It was getting dark..but she didn't know how to get back. Hell, she didn't know where she was. And Peter knew that too, the jerk. Or at least, she hoped he did. Surely Tink must have gotten back to the tree house by now and he'd know she was alone. Right? One can only dream for such a thing. It was getting too dark, she couldn't see much of anything anymore. She was going by touch now, being very slow and precise. But even that couldn't help her as she took one step too many. Nicole felt her foot slip and suddenly she was falling through the air. Oh shit. She was going to die. She let out a scream, clawing at nothing but air. She was going to die without saying goodbye to anyone. Without meaning anything to anyone. Without being home in her bed with her parents and Spice. Oh, poor Spice! She couldn't die now; she didn't _want_ to die now! "Please, somebody, anybody, save me!" She cried. Just before she hit the ground, arms surrounded her and secured her in place, flying up and away from the unforgiving (and fatal) ground. She stayed completely still for a few seconds, her body still in shock from almost, well, dying. She started to squirm, but was stopped by the sound of a voice hitting her ears. "Are you okay?" Peter.

Her eyes glanced up at the uncomfortable-looking boy in relief. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, causing the boy to tense up just a bit more. Though she didn't notice because she was too happy right now. Terribly, terribly happy. "Yes, I'm fine! You saved me, Peter!" She said in great happiness. Her words of praise seemed to cheer the boy up and he let out his celebratory crowing noise, flying faster. "Yea well, someone had to. I just came first because I'm awesome." He boasted, causing Nicole to let out an annoyed sigh. Still, she didn't stop the embrace, if anything she relaxed into it more. "Uh huh." She smiled. He gulped once and took off faster, towards the tree house. Meanwhile Tinkerbell, who had been more or less watching everything play out, felt herself turn a dark red from jealousy. Who did that hussy think she was?! "I don't like this." She chimed, slowly flying in the direction of the tree house, arms and legs limp and steam rising from around her. That was not part of the plan.

* * *

**A/N:: Yay, end of the chapter! Happy 2013 everyone; hopefully I'll be able to update more often now! :)**

**See ya! Hugs! xoxo**


	19. Snake in the Silver

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot though. :)**

* * *

_Death is super scary when you don't see it coming. And even if you do, I doubt it lessens the fear. I wonder how England is doing without me._

Peter said nothing for a long time as he flew through the sky. Nicole had fallen asleep in his arms and Tinkerbell was fuming and chasing after them. He didn't pay her any mind, though; he was very upset with her, you see. And the fairy, on some level, knew that. The more they flew, the less angry Tink became, until her anger was gone completely; that's when he finally acknowledged her presence. "That was wrong." He said sternly, though she only shook her head. "I've done it before." She said, irritation creeping along the edges. "Not when I'm not there. You would have killed her." He hissed, Tink shrugged her shoulders. "She was much too slow for me, Peter. At her rate, we wouldn't have found anything." Peter looked back towards the fairy. "So did you find anything?" He asked, though his annoyance was showing. "No." She chimed, and it caused Peter to roll his eyes. So she abandoned Nicole for what reason? "Fine." He took off faster, fed up with the girl.

Eventually they made it back to the tree house, Peter letting out his crow when he returned, waking up Nicole in the process. Good. Tinkerbell said nothing as she went to the opposite side of the room, away from them all. Peter placed Nicole back on her feet, being careful since she still looked a bit shaken, and turned towards his men. "Let's see what you all found." And so it began. Cubby had found a rock, though he thought it was gold. The twins found matching berry leaves, with the berries still on them. Tootles found an arrow with a crocodile tooth as the point. Nibs had found a shiny red ribbon. All these things were quite pretty, Nibs was currently in the lead; but now it was Slightly's turn. And Slightly always had something under his sleeve. "I got this." The room was filled with gasps of surprise and happiness when he pulled out a tiny fairy dress. For a baby fairy, it seemed. It was a gorgeous mix of red, orange, and yellow and it was unbelievably shiny. Though it contained no magical properties, it certainly was a beautiful sight. Slightly puffed out his chest, his ego clearly inflating from the admiration of his find, but still, there was one more person left to go, wasn't there? All eyes fell on Nicole. Crap, it was her turn now, wasn't it? She was still shaken up from earlier, she didn't want to go! Peter looked over as well; surely she couldn't have found something, right? But he was proven wrong.

"I found this." She said as calmly as she could, revealing the pink bear she had found. Peter glared over at Tinkerbell for a brief second before turning his attention towards the object. It was really very pretty, prettier than what Slightly had found. And different than anything he'd seen before. Nicole stood still, though she wanted to run. Did this mean she won? Her heart picked up in pace; if she won, that would mean she'd have to go with him. And it frightened her. Both of them were tense. Slightly suddenly gave a rude sneer towards the girl, all heads snapping towards his direction when he started laughing. The tense air was gone. "What?" Cubby asked, clearly confused. Slightly pointed towards the pink thing, lifting it out of her palm. "This is a hair bopper." He said, causing more confusion. Just not from Peter, because he would never admit he was confused. "I remember; girls put it in their hair to bop it. See?" He placed the hair clip into Nicole's hair, and there it stayed. A chorus of 'ohh' filled the tree house. Nicole blinked and gave a sheepish shrug. "Sorry everyone." She laughed, relieved. Peter, too, was relieved at the news. Now that it was "proven" that Nicole had found nothing more than a hair accessory, he didn't feel any type of worry towards this subject. Because now he knew she didn't stand a fighting chance to come along with him to Hook's ship. Although…

Even if she had found something valuable, he wasn't sure he'd feel alright about taking her with him on something so dangerous. Pirates' stabbing at her was not something he was going to allow, and he certainly felt strong enough to save her if the time came, he just wasn't there to do that. He was going to the pirate ship to steal treasure; not protect some defenseless girl. With that all summed up, he made up his mind. "Right. I knew that from the beginning, but girl's need extra attention, you see." He said, schooling the other lost boys who, in turn, ate up his lie with great admiration. Of course their captain would know before they did. Nicole, however, didn't believe he knew about anything. "Slightly, you win." He said, the cheers that erupted shortly afterwards nearly made him deaf, but no matter. He gave a nod, good. Everything was settled; except for one thing. "One more thing before we go." He sharply turned his eyes towards his fairy friend; only his eyes, nothing else. "Tink." He said nothing else as he walked curtly into his room. The lost boys looked over at one another in concern as Tinkerbell floated in behind him, leaving them to chat amongst themselves. Nicole stared over at the room in deep discomfort.

* * *

Peter stared daggers at Tinkerbell as the small fairy floated in front of him, arms crossed against her chest. He had finally stopped pacing, but now he had been glaring at her ever since. Like he was expecting an apology. Her lips were fashioned into a defiant pout and it was a battle of the wills; and Peter was not relenting. Not even a little. He hadn't said anything since being in this room. And they'd been here for a quite a while. Ten minutes it felt like. It made her feel uncomfortable. Silence was worse than yelling when it came to the elf boy. She knew that. She had to say something. "Peter." She started, though his look made her resolve melt and all she could do was stand in silence once more. Unbelievable. Peter couldn't stand fairies most of the time, he hardly knew why he put up with Tink, but he did. Still, she didn't have the right to do what she did. It wasn't funny, because he wasn't there and Nicole would have died. She already did it once with Wendy when she convinced Tootles to shoot her with his arrow and what a fright that was. He didn't want to see that again; boys dying and girls dying were different in Peter's eyes. Boys were easily replaceable; hell, there were so many other lost boys running around Neverland that just never made it through the night because they were stupid and without his aid.

Girls, on the other hand, didn't come around often and he figured them to be somewhat of a treasure, something that needed to be protected and guarded at all times. But Tinkerbell always made that incredibly difficult for Peter, no matter who it was. The only reason she co-existed with the mermaids was because she found out they were just as rotten as she was. A true boy on the inside, as Peter would say. He was at his wits end with Tink; one more screw up and she'd be out on her ass. He rudely pointed a finger at the blonde fairy, though she said nothing. "One more chance, Tink. One more, that's it. Do not harm Nicole, or I'll feed you to a bear!" He stormed out, leaving Tinkerbell to her tears as she flew out the window. Peter watched as the boys scrambled to act as if they hadn't heard his outburst, but he was not stupid. He was their captain; he knew everything. But there was no need to stab into this matter so late at night; it was time for action. "Boys, make sure Nicole feels at home since she'll be telling her first story tonight when we get back. Slightly, let's go." They saluted as Peter and Slightly disappeared into the night.

Cubby turned to look at Nicole, who was currently standing stiff in the middle of the living area. She looked cold. "We'll get you a blanket." He said smoothly, everyone walking off with him. Nicole held out her hand to tell them it was unnecessary, but they were already gone. She rested on the floor. "Well..alright." She said to herself. She wondered briefly where Tinkerbell had gone, but then she remembered how the fairy tried to kill her, and her worry went down significantly. The ruckus coming from the next room was sudden and booming, and it startled the girl to a point, but she was so tired that she decided to ignore the shaking of the house, the yelling and the tearing sounds coming from the boys. And sometime during that blanket-fiasco, she had fallen into a deep sleep.

* * *

Hook, standing in front of his crew, gave a simple nod, seemingly not worried. "Peter Pan is coming here tonight with one of the lost boys to retrieve our treasure. Do your best to stop them." He said, the ship filled with rough talk and whatnot. "Sonya, you come with me." He said, taking her hand and leading her back down into their private quarters. Sonya sat down on the couch as Hook sat at his desk, writing things down. She was confused. "Hook, do you think it was smart to leave your crew to handle Peter alone? They're all stupid." She said harshly, though he said nothing. It made her a bit angry. "Hook." She hissed to get his attention, and she was hopeful when he lifted his head, then wanted to strangle him when he put his eyes back on his paper and continued writing. She growled under her breath; this was complete and utter crap. She didn't know what was going on, why would Hook do something so foolish? But, regardless of this stupid idea, she had no choice but to listen to what he said; he was captain. With a sigh, she leaned back into the couch and fooled around with her dagger, bored.

A good ten minutes later, two figures dashed across the night sky. If you blinked, you would have missed them. If you didn't blink, you still would have missed them. The stars twinkled in warning, but unless you were paying close attention, you would have paid no mind. No sound as the two landed on the deck of the boat, avoiding the clueless pirates less than a few feet away. Peter gave a quick glance around, and grabbed the collar of Slightly's animal costume before he could start wandering off, which he was about to do. The look in Peter's eyes said enough; "You follow me." And Slightly was more than happy to oblige. He pointed towards the door on the other side of the deck, which led to the cellar. It came out loud and clear, treasure was down there. Peter grabbed rope, Slightly grabbed empty sacks and very quickly they had wrapped and trapped the three pirates that would have seen them, were they smarter. The deck safe now, the two strolled inside, though Slightly slammed the door behind them.

Sonya jumped up from her place on the couch, alert. "Hook." She said worriedly, though he once again waved her off. "It's nothing, Sonya. Calm yourself." A grunt as she plopped herself back on the couch.

Peter gave Slightly a dirty look and the 'shut up' signal as they continued their quest for the treasure. It was dark, but as they continued walking it got lighter and lighter until there was a huge treasure chest surrounded by light right in front of them. It was all very suspicious to Peter, but before he could do anything… "Oh, here it is!" Slightly exclaimed loudly, and that pretty much alerted every fucking pirate onboard. A sword was thrust in front of their faces less than a second later. Peter sent a death glare; Slightly gave a cheesy smile. They turned their attention back to the pirate more than three times their size. "Hand over the treasure." He snarled at them, like he was an actual threat of some kind. Peter gave a cocky smile before pulling out his dagger and chopping off the pirate's beard fast as lightening. "No." He smiled, the pirate whimpered somewhat, but they didn't stick around to see if he'd attack. Peter and Slightly threw the treasure chest in his face, effectively knocking him out before grabbing it again and dashing up and out of the cellar. They didn't get so much as one foot out the door when the entire deck was filled with pirates, all armed and ready. Peter was more than happy to have an all-out brawl, and Slightly was coming along for the ride.

It was over just as quickly as it had started, and soon Peter and Slightly had flown out the ship and back towards the tree house. Sonya ran outside just in time to see them fly away, and she was pissed at not only the crew, but at the captain. She stormed back downstairs and started throwing things and breaking them. "Hook, you stupid asshole! You let them take your treasure, the one thing that you had to your name! You're just as stupid, if not MORE stupid than your stupid crew! I cannot believe-!" She was silenced when Hook pushed her down on the couch and he stood towering over her. None of this went unnoticed by the pirate captain, he was not stupid. This was what he wanted to happen. His face seemed to say enough because suddenly it clicked in her head. She didn't know why he wanted his treasure stolen, but that was what he wanted. She tried to get some kind of explanation. "James." Sonya started, but she was waved off as the man walked back over to his desk, flipping his coat on. She didn't understand, wasn't this a bad thing? He gave the lady a dark smile and, despite her best efforts, a chill ran up her spine at the sight. "It's alright, Sonya. This is part of the plan." He chuckled, exiting the office and leaving Sonya alone to feel her heart thud rapid fire against her chest. "Part of...the plan." She said to herself, confusion in every syllable.

Hook walked out onto the deck in silence, a figure was leaning on the railing, as if waiting for the captain. Which he was. At the sound of his footsteps, Smee turned around and gave a solid nod towards his captain. "They took the treasure, captain." He said, Hook giving a solid nod of his own. "Excellent. You know what to do next." With that, he turned heel and walked back into his quarters. Smee mumbled a couple of words to himself before covering himself with a cloak and hopping into a small rowboat. He slowly adjusted the ropes until the bottom of the boat hit the ice cold water and he could be on his way. He gripped the oars and started rowing into the night, the little lantern his only source of light. "I'll be back by sunrise." He repeated again, as if that alone would guarantee his safe return from where he was headed. He hoped it would.

* * *

A happy crow filled the tree house as Peter and Slightly came back, the treasure chest being carried between both of them. Though Peter would argue that he was only letting Slightly handle it with him so he wouldn't feel left out, because Peter could carry it all by himself. Like a man. Ha, right. The remaining lost boys hopped up in happiness, clapping and jumping around the wooden box filled with goodies. Nicole opened her eyes at the noise and, though half asleep, she too was excited about the treasure they had recovered. Perhaps she could steal some for when she went back to England. She stood up and wandered over to where everyone else was, gaping at all the precious jewels and bountiful gold. Peter noticed her amazement and gave a smirk. "What? Have you not seen one before?" He mocked from earlier, causing the girl to stick out her tongue at his attitude. "Of course I have. A boy I know has one." She lied, though she did it in the same cocky, rude manner the elf boy had done it in by the lake.

He was clearly amused at this, but he said nothing as he closed the lid, receiving a chorus of 'aww' from everyone, including Nicole. "Now men, we have something better to do. It's time to hear a story." He said, causing everyone to cheer except Nicole, who's knees where trembling from the thought. Not that he cared, the jerk. The lost boys ran around the room, bumping into one another frequently before finding a comfy place on the floor, attentive. Peter smiled over at Nicole as he got himself situated on his comfy king chair, ready to listen to this story she was going to tell. He hoped it was about him; all the other girls told stories about him. But he was slowly starting he realize that she wasn't quite like the others. She was weird. Nicole gave a nervous smile towards them and prayed that this would work out in her favor.

* * *

**A****/N:: Whoa, hey! Another chapter added so quickly? Look at how much I spoil you. Except not really. I know I've said this before, but thanks so much for reading this story, it means a lot. Don't forget to review and favorite! xoxo**


	20. Growing Abyss

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot though. :)**

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Dark, still night. The wind was hardly blowing, making the air rather stuffy. The only real movement was the ocean, and the little rowboat going along with the current. Smee's eyes were the only thing visible beneath the dark brown hooded cloak he wore, his hands too, since he was rowing. Speaking of which, how long had he been rowing now? It had to be a couple of hours at least. He stopped the boat and ran irritated fingers along his bald scalp. "Dammit." This would have been easier if he knew where the hell he was going. Or knew what he was looking for. Only he would think it a good idea to come out to sea and not know where exactly he was headed. But, his captain had told him to do so, what choice did he have? That being said, he brought plenty of things with him for this, just in case something went wrong. Which was bound to happen, of course. His trusty Corkscrew, a travel pack filled with food, poison eliminators, the syringe Hook had given him. He had hoped this was enough. However, with all his food gone and dropping more than half of the poison eliminators into the ocean when boarding this death trap, he was starting to become restless. Where was he GOING? Sadly, his captain hadn't given him helpful instructions.

* * *

_Flashback;_

_"Where am I going, sir?" Smee asked for what seemed the hundredth time, and yet again he was given the same reply. "You'll know it when you see it. Now, when you get there, hand this to the man with the ruby eye." He said, handing Smee a slip of paper. What was this? "Money." Hook answered before he could ask. Money? This was some funny money and he didn't quite understand it. He gave a nod anyway. "Understood. But, where am I going?" Same reply. "You'll know it when you see it. Try to keep out of trouble when you get there, Smee. Also, be careful with it. It is a fairy, after all." Another nod. "Understood. But..captain, where am I going?" Irritation. "I SAID YOU'LL KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT, OR DO I HAVE TO CHOP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF?!" Smee trembled and fell to his knees in apologies. "No, no, no, sorry, so sorry, sorry."_

_Over_

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He let another sigh escape him as he kept on. Well, he would know it when he saw it, right? So he just had to look for something that…he…would know of? Oh goodness, this was too hard! Fireworks exploded in the sky, his eyes following their source; a huge, though decaying, ship. It had a skull in the front with ruby eyes, and the sound of violence hit his ears. "Was this what the captain was speaking of?" It must be. Nodding to himself, he rowed over to it and glanced up. He let out a distinct whistle tune that only the finest pirates knew, and the ruckus aboard fell silent. A ladder was thrown off the side of the ship and, taking that as his cue, he climbed it to the top and hopped aboard, instantly greeted by thirty or more swords. "What is it you want?" One demanded. Smee thought about killing all of them, but perhaps there was a more peaceful way of doing this. "I am here on an order from Captain Hook." Fear fell into their eyes immediately; Hook?! Swords were lowered and Smee was allowed to pass. He wasn't sure where he was going, but like hell he was asking. He figured just going through the doors would be a good start.

Thank goodness he was right. He had made his way into a bar type setting, all sorts of shenanigans going about, yet he knew he was in the right place. He could feel it. His eyes scanned the area before they settled on a buff pirate with a ruby eye. Perfect. It's just as his captain had said! Nodding to himself, he walked over to the pirate and, once his attention was caught, handed him the piece of paper. The man glanced down at it, twirling a tooth pick between his teeth momentarily before spitting it out and making a certain 'click' sound with his tongue. His gaze went to the hooded Smee and nodded. "Wait there." He pointed over to the bar and then made his way to the back. He sighed in relief and walked over, ignoring the stares and sat down. He was just happy to be out of that stupid rowboat, if only for a couple of minutes. The bartender came over a few seconds later. "Anything?" A pause. "One beer." A nod as he disappeared. Once received, he gulped it down, though it was quite the task seeing as it tasted worse than piss. People were watching, he could feel it. He tried to keep to himself, sure that if he said anything, he'd wind up in a bar fight. And his captain had specifically asked him to stay out of trouble, so he would try. This, at least, had been the plan.

But just like all plans, something feels the need to botch it and turn it into something else. Case and point was the trouble-stirring pirate that sat next to him. Not one word had been spoken between them before disrespect had occured. He grabbed Smee's hood and flipped it off, almost seeming in shock on what was beneath it. "Hey, you're just a fat old fuck! And here I thought you were someone to fear." What. The. F- To hell with the plan! This guy needed to be put in place. His eyes turned to the newcomer with disdain. "You're awfully stupid and ugly for someone so young. At least when I was your age, I could get laid." A chorus of 'oh' filled the place, and the air was suddenly tense. The stranger wasted no time with a rebuttal as he pulled out his big, flashy sword and pointed it right him. "Awful big talker, ain't cha, oldie?" A smirk. "No." In a move that his brain couldn't comprehend, Smee had somehow managed to pull out his own sword, disarm him, and have him pinned to the ground with his body. He pulled out his own sword that, while not as flashy as his, was twice as sharp. He pressed it against his neck and whatever sanity he had left as a drop of blood hit his blade. A gleam of excitement entered his eyes, one that had gone MIA for some time, and a smile graced his experienced face. "I'm not much for talking." He slit the throat of the man beneath him with glee, he almost felt like drooling it was so fucking satisfying.

The death of one comrade led the rest to fight back; it also led to their bloody deaths. I'll spare you the details, but there were more blood and guts on and around Smee that you'd believe he was part zombie. He relished in the moment before flipping his hood back on and going back to sit by the bar. The pirate with the ruby eye came back out with the cage a few minutes later. "See here. It's passed out…" His voice trailed, dumbstruck by the scene. There was only one newcomer on board who would do this. He eyes fell on Smee, who looked as if he hadn't moved since he left. The man pulled out his sword and ran over, having in mind to kill him. He almost managed to get him, too, but suddenly a sword was thrust through his gallbladder and his world was filled with nothing but agony. The old man looked down at the man who wouldn't stop screaming. It was agitating. "Hey, you." A glare. "Your beer is shit." He stabbed his sword through his neck, and with a few more gurgles for breath, he died. He pulled his sword out with a little difficulty, gripped the handle of the cage and stood up. He glanced down once more, grabbed the money from before and then walked off the ship calmly. Well, that escalated quickly.

* * *

Smee was currently washing his sword in the ocean water, trying his best to get all the blood off. He should have done this earlier, but he was in a daze. It always happened when he was responsible for someone bleeding, and the time in which he was in his trance would vary. This time it took him one hour. He was shocked that he had even got back into the rowboat and started heading back, really. Usually he'd search around for some more things to kill. Thank god he didn't kill the fairy in his fit or he would've been slaughtered. Still, he couldn't help not regretting what he did. Not because he took away lives, more because his captain had asked him not to, and he did so anyway. This feeling of shame lasted no more than two seconds. "Oh well." Smee scoffed as he finally got the last bit of blood off the blade and slipped it back in its sheath. "I got his money back. He shouldn't be too angry." Besides, if he didn't want a killer on his ship, he wouldn't have been here as long as he has. Hook knew what kind of person Smee was, which was why he was his most trusted pirate. He had no problem with the dirty work. He rowed for another hour before he couldn't ignore it any longer. The question that had been burning inside him since he set out for this mission.

**What. Kind. Of. Fairy. Did. He. Get?**

A fire elemental? Or perhaps water. Curious, he flipped over the sheet and was instantly paralyzed. This was not… His hair was cut short, a deep blue color. His skin was a pale complexion, small body sculpted. His chest was bare, but he had brown-green leaf pants on, something that looked like a root fashioned into a necklace around his neck, his feet bare. He. He. HE. Smee stared at the fairy in disbelief; a male?! He wasn't expecting a male fairy. How long must it have taken to find one. And how powerful this little thing must've been! This was a different ball game now, wasn't it? Aside from being stronger and incredibly rare, they were said to have magical powers passed down from generations. Now he understood why it was handed to him passed out. What powers did this thing have? He placed the sheet back and let out a sigh before he decided to carry on. His captain knew what he was doing. He continued rowing for a while before he remembered! He stopped and dug around the travel pack he brought along just in case, and gripped the syringe firmly. He was just about to take off the sheet, but suddenly Hook's instructions rang in his memory.

* * *

_Flashback;_

_Hook handed Smee the needle filled with black ooze, his look stern. "Jab it into the fairy only when you are close enough to the ship to do so." Confusion highlighted his features. "Why? What is this?" He then watched in slight horror as Hook took out a second one and jabbed himself quite brutally. "Captain!" A growl. "Quiet, fool!" He hissed, leaving his palm to drip blood. "This is a potion; a spell. Do as I say and only stab it when you're within swimming distance of the ship." Smee still didn't quite understand what was going on, but he wasn't going to question his captain anymore. So, with a firm nod, he placed the syringe into his pack and set off. "Oh, and Smee." He turned around. "Don't remove the fairy from the cage." A nod. "Understood, captain."_

_Over_

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Hm. He looked around; the ship was not in sight yet, so it was not time. He placed it back in his bag and started rowing again. He did this for what seemed like forever, and the ship did not come back into his sights until the sun started to rise. Stopping when he felt he was in swimming distance, he took hold of the syringe and removed the cover from the cage. Sweat beaded on his brow in concentration as he tried to jab the little thing. It took a few minutes, but finally he managed to get a perfect strike right in his chest and pushed down. Red eyes snapped open and stared at the pirate before the fairy flew up as high as his cage would allow. The needle fell with a clank to the ground, a single drop of the black ooze failing to enter. But it was only one drop, it couldn't matter too much.

What Smee was more concerned with, was the fact that the fairies aura was growing at an alarming rate. And getting stronger and stronger. "You! You WEAKLING! What did you do?! I'LL KILL YOU!" Smee backed away as much as the boat allowed, though it really wasn't much. Black energy spears hung above his head, and Smee thought for sure he was going to die. The rowboat rattled beneath him, the seas around him beginning to spiral. The skies turned a dark gray, lightening and thunder battling for dominance. This was the first time Smee was ever truly frightened for his well-being. He clung to the boat for dear life as the blades became sharper and longer. They were damn well about to impale him! But before that could happen, the fairy began to sway. His vision went fuzzy and he fell with a thud to the bottom of the cage, unconscious. Everything around him reverted back to normal; the skies, the seas, the boat. Smee managed to sit up before the pent up energy caused the boat to explode everyone in it crashing to the freezing water. Smee opened his eyes a few seconds after the impact and watched as the cage started to sink. He had half a mind to let the stupid thing die, but the other half was telling him it was his job to bring it back to his captain alive. So, he quickly retrieved it and swam back to the surface. He stared over at the ship and a scowl fell on his face. With no other means of transportation, he had no choice but to swim to the ship. "Now I understand."

* * *

Sunrise. Fingers deftly gripped the edge of the ship as Smee hoisted himself (and the damn fairy) up onto the deck. He was surprised that it was deserted, usually the crew would be causing all types of ruckus. But when he spotted Hook standing in the middle of the space, he understood. He walked over to his captain and handed him the small cage, where the fairy lay unconscious. Before his captain could move, he also handed him the paper slip with a few drops of blood on it. Amusement lit up Hook's otherwise cold eyes at the sight. "Didn't I say not to cause trouble?" A smirk. "Oops." He walked passed his captain down to his corridors. Smee let out a sigh when he was finally out of sight; well. At least he didn't die. It had certainly been a while since he had to something so dangerous, and something that made his life flash before his eyes. He didn't want to experience that again. "Troublesome fairy." He had a feeling this would not end well, but for which side he did not know. But a male fairy...that was something unheard of. No one goes after a male fairy because they're seen as a treasure. What if they realize it's been kidnapped? Will the fairies plan a rescue mission? His mind was going all sorts of places, and none of them ended well. But his body proved to have gone through too much today to continue his thoughts. Able to stay coherent for a few more seconds, he thought of the little fairy and how angry it looked. No, no. Not angry. Frightened. The fairy was frightened. He was sure of it! His vision went hazy and he collapsed, passed out. No need to worry, he was breathing; but he had only made it this far based on sheer willpower.

* * *

Meanwhile, down below in his room, Hook and Sonya stared at the small fairy. Her gaze drifted over to the man, a smile on her lips. "A male?" His nod was tense; yes. An actual male fairy, now in his possession. The things this little thing could do! The thought rattled Hook a little, but not much. Because now this fairy belonged to him. Sonya looked back to the small thing. "What do you plan to do with it?" A smile. "Defeat Peter Pan, what else?" He rattled the cage until the fairy inside regained consciousness. Red eyes analyzed the new person above him; his aura was more dangerous than the last fatty that handled him. He stood up on his feet, keeping silent. The air was tense for a total of three seconds before he decided to be bold and try to escape. A black ball of energy filled his palm and he smashed the cage to bits, and it even pushed Hook and Sonya back a bit. He shaped the energy into a multi-blade sword and pointed it over to them in warning. "My name is Aero Von Serpentine. Last fairy prince from the Misty Mountains. For kidnapping me and holding me hostage, I sentence you to death by my hand." The blades began to glow, as did the aura around him. The ship began to sway dangerously to the left, almost to the point of flipping over. The crew's cries of panic could be heard in the distance. Sonya, too, started panicking. "HOOK! DO SOMETHING, HE'S-" Hook's ringing laugh caused her to stop short and the fairy's gaze to turn quizzical.

A smile graced his face. "Try it, Aero." He mocked, saying his name as if it were a sour grae. Aero didn't need to be told twice. With an arrogant scoff, his sword grew in size and shot towards them, aiming for their throats. Stupid pirates, always a nuissance. Sonya let out a scream; Hook raised his hand and squeezed his fingers into a light fist. Suddenly, the energy disappeared and Aero was writhing in agony on the floor by their feet. Sonya looked over at Hook in amazement. "What..did you do?" She asked. His gaze held the small creatures as he raised his arm and Aero came flying with it until he was brought up to face level. Aero opened one eye. "H-How?" He spit out some blood. Hook grinned as he unclenched his fist, revealing a snake design stamp in the middle of his palm. He glanced down at his chest to see the same design on it; but how? When..? "I guess Smee did his job properly." His eyes widened; the FATTY! Of course! That fucking needle he was jabbed with…! "Now you understand, yes? You belong to me; all I need to do is clench my fist completely and you'll die." There was no sign of protest, so he continued. "That being the case, you will do what I say." Still no protests.

Silence hung over them for a few seconds before Aero finally lifted his gaze. "What do you want?" There was reluctance in his voice, but what choice did he have? Hook smiled. "I'm sure you know of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys." And, not surprisingly, Aero nodded. Of course he knew of the elf-boy; he was famous all around Neverland. And the lost boys as well. "And I'm sure you know of his fairy, Tinkerbell." Another nod; though not personally, he had indeed heard stories of the fairy. She was more or less a legend as far as fairies go. "I'm going to send you to them; you will gain their trust, see what they're up to. Find out their secrets; but more importantly, their weaknesses. Especially Peter. And once you do that, you will report back to me." Aero didn't see the point in this. "And once that happens; I will kill him." Suddenly he was struggling again. "Like hell!" He would not take part in this assassination! He was not a theiving, killing pirate! "SILENCE!" His fist clenched slightly and more blood spilled from the small one's lips. He vaguely wondered if this is what his servants felt like back home. He released and Aero could breathe again. "You will do as I say." He snarled. "But what if he has no weaknesses?" He growled; and it made Hook laugh. "My boy, he's not a god. Everyone has a weakness. And you WILL find it, and you WILL report back to me. Understand?" A weak nod. "Gain the trust of Tinkerbell; she will be the one who knows most about him. Do whatever must be done to complete your mission, or I will take your life." For emphasis, he clenched his fist and Aero let out a yell of pain. "Understood?" He threatened. "YES!" Then the pain was gone as he released his fist, and he was left feeling dizzy.

"You have two months to complete this, no more." With another weak nod, he agreed. Hook's design suddenly disappeared, as did the one on Aero's chest, and the fairy fell to the floor with a thud, but awake. "Go." Hook commanded, and with a conflicted nod, he flew off. Waiting until he was out of range, Hook hissed and stared at his slightly burned palm. Sonya looked at him in concern. "What happened?" Annoyance. "It seems I can't hold the spell for very long before his aura starts to burn through me." Sonya gave his palm a kiss. "I'll keep this hidden; no doubt if this damn thing got whiff of it, he'd find a way to use it against me." His eyes narrowed, but a smile painted itself on his face. "Oh Peter. Your end is near." He laughed. Two months…

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**A/N: Whoo, chapter's done! So, yea. As you can see, this whole chapter was dedicated to introducing Aero. Will he be a foe, or a friend? Hmm. Next chapter will be back with the normal characters. Thanks so much for reading guys. Not sure when I'll upload it, but it'll happen. :D xoxo**


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